Edger Allan Poe

Best known for his poems and short fiction, Edgar Allan Poe, born in Boston on
Jan. 19, 1809, deserves more credit than any other writer for the transformation
of the short story from tale to art. He for the most part created the detective
story and perfected the psychological thriller. He also produced some of the
most influential literary criticism of his time. Poe died Oct. 7, 1849. Poe’s
parents were touring actors; both died before he was three years old, and he was
taken into the home of John Allan, a wealthy merchant in Richmond, Va., and
baptized Edgar Allan Poe. His childhood was uneventful, although he studied for
five years in England between the years of 1815 through 1920. In 1826 he entered
the University of Virginia, however, he only attended for a year. Although a
good student, he ran up large gambling debts that Allan refused to pay. Allan
prevented his return to the university and broke off Poe’s engagement to Sarah
Elmira Royster, his girlfriend. Having no where to turn, Poe enlisted in the
army. He had, however, already written and printed his first book at his own
expense: Tamerlane and Other Poems, verses written in the manner of Byron.

Temporarily approved, Allan secured Poe’s release from the army and his
appointment to West Point but refused to provide financial support. After six
months Poe apparently contrived to be dismissed from West Point for disobedience
of orders. His fellow cadets, however, contributed the funds for the publication
of Poems by Edgar A. Poe. Poe next took up residence in Baltimore with his
widowed aunt, Maria Clemm, and her daughter, Virginia, and turned to fiction as
a way to support himself. In 1832 the Philadelphia Saturday Courier published
five of his stories, all comic or satiric. Poe, his aunt, and Virginia moved to
Richmond in 1835, and he became editor of the Southern Literary Messenger and
married Virginia, who was not yet fourteen years old. His contributions
undoubtedly increased the magazine’s circulation, but they offended its owner,
who also took exception to Poe’s drinking. In New York City, then in
Philadelphia and again in New York Poe sought to establish himself as a force in
literary journalism, but with only moderate success. He did succeed, however, in
formulating influential literary theories and in demonstrating mastery of the
forms he favored, highly musical poems and short prose narratives. The tale Poe
considered his finest, “The Fall of The House of Usher,” which was to become
one of his most famous stories. Virginia’s death in January 1847 was a heavy
blow, but Poe continued to write and lecture. In the summer of 1849 he revisited
Richmond, lectured, and was accepted anew by the fiancee he had lost in 1826.

After his return north he was found unconscious on a Baltimore street. In a
brief obituary the Baltimore Clipper reported that Poe had died of congestion of
the brain. The short story is a prose narrative that can be told or read on a
single occasion. It is believed to be the oldest form of prose fiction.

Originating with primitive accounts of supernatural encounters, short narratives
have existed in the form of parables, fairy tales, folk tales, legends, and
fables throughout history. Edgar Allan Poe perfected what has come to be known
as the classic form, as opposed to the later hard-boiled form developed in the
1920s. The classic form is the story in which a seemingly impossible crime has
been committed and the detective relies on his or her superior perception,
intellect, and often arcane knowledge to solve the mystery. The fall of The
House of Usher Edgar Allan Poe’s, ” The Fall of the House of Usher” takes
on the same basic literary themes as do most of his stories, suspense
imparticular. However, he also uses the supernatural in this story as well.

Poe’s vast description enables the reader to place himself with the narrator,
and get a better feeling of what is truly going on with the story. Using a
nameless narrator allows the reader to use his imagination on to what the
narrator looks like; is it the reader himself? Poe? or a figment of Poe’s
imagination? That is to forever be unknown. However, it is also part of the
reason Poe’s work has become the superlative of the short story. The story
takes place mainly in the House of the Usher family, the exact location in is
not mentioned, however, the surroundings seem very gloomy; the house itself is
described as decaying, Poe obviously was trying to give the reader a mental
image of a dark, immense, house, isolated from the world. Throughout the story,
Poe’s imagery of the house and the inanimate objects inside serve to give a
supernatural atmosphere to the story. By giving inanimate objects almost
life-like characteristics, he is giving the house a supernatural quality. This
supernatural element serves to make Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher”
interesting and suspenseful in his treatment of the house’s effect on its
inhabitants. It also allows the house to become, in my opinion, the most
important character of the story, although it is inanimate. However, three
tangible characters play the decisive role in this story: Lady Madeline,
Roderick Usher, and the un-named narrator. Lady Madeline, the twin sister of
Roderick Usher, is introduced as a character, however, never speaks a word
throughout the entire story. In fact, she is absent from most of the book. Poe
seems to present her as a ghostlike figure. Lady Madeline had the tendency to
roam the house, not taking notice to anything, or anyone. According to the
narrator, Lady Madeline “passed slowly through a remote portion of the
apartment, and, without having noticed [his] presence, disappeared. At the
narrator’s arrival, she goes to her bedroom and falls into a catatonic state.

The narrator, after the decision that she is not waking up, helps bury and put
her away in a vault, however, with her reappearance, he flees. It becomes
apparent that Madeline had fallen to the mental disorder which seems to plague
the House of Usher. Roderick Usher, the old child hood friend of the narrator,
and head of the house, plays a rather distinctive role in the story. He comes
from a rather wealthy family in which he now stakes claim to the family money.

Roderick, as the narrator tells the reader, had once been an attractive man.

However, his appearance deteriorated over time. At first meeting with Roderick,
the narrator spoke of the radical change in his friends appearance, to the point
in which “I doubted to whom I spoke.” Roderick’s altered appearance
probably was caused by his insanity. The narrator notes various symptom from
which he bases his opinion that Roderick is not mentally sane: excessive nervous
agitation. His actions were alternately vivacious and sullen, his voice varied
rapidly from a tremulous indecision. Roderick’s state worsens throughout the
story. He becomes increasingly restless and unstable, especially after the
burial of his sister. He is not able to sleep and claims that he hears noises.

Generally, Roderick is an unstable man, his capability to remain sane is far
gone at the point in which he is introduced. The narrator, although he remains
nameless, appears to be a man of common sense. He shows his good heartedness in
going to help an old child hood friend, whom he has lost contact with prior to
the letter sent by Roderick. With his arrival to the house, he observes Usher
and concludes that his friend has a mental disorder. He looks for natural
scientific explanations for what Roderick senses. The narrator’s tone throughout
the story suggests that he cannot understand Usher. Oddly enough, it becomes
obvious in the beginning of the story that the narrator is superstitious. When
he looks upon the house, even before he met Roderick Usher, he observes
“There can be no doubt that the consciousness of the rapid increase of my
superstition. ” When he and Roderick go down to bury Madeline, he
speculates that she may not be completely dead yet. However, rather than
mentioning his suspicion to his friend, he remains silent and continues the
burial. The narrator comes across as more of a practical man, trying to dismiss
strange occurrences as coincidence, or natural occurrences. For example, when
Roderick claims that there are ghosts in the house, the narrator feels fear too,
but he dismisses Roderick’s and his own fear by attributing them to a natural
cause. In the end, this fear finally overcomes him. The three characters of
course are unique people with distinct characteristics, but they are tied
together by the same type of mental disorder. All of them suffer from insanity,
yet each responds differently. Lady Madeline seems to accept the fact that she
is insane and continues her life with that knowledge. Roderick Usher appears
realize his mental state and struggles very hard to hold on to his sanity. The
narrator, who is slowly but surely contracting the disease, wants to deny what
he sees, hears, and senses. Unlike the other two characters, however, he escapes
the insanity that is, The House of Usher. In The Fall of the House of Usher has
an unusual conflict occurring. Unlike most stories, the conflict does not fall
between to animate objects, instead it falls between man, and a inanimate
object, a house. Although the conflict is not coming from the house itself,
however, more the supernatural beings which inhabit it. They do, however,
reflect themselves upon the house. In this case, the house and its beings which
inhabit it, reign over the characters. In the story, “The Fall of the House
of Usher,” Poe explores the inner workings of the human imagination but, at
the same time, cautions the reader about the destructive dangers which can
result from it. When fantasy suppresses reality, as in Roderick’s case, what
results is madness and the decay of mental stability. Madeline’s return and
death reunites the twin natures of their single being. The focus of this story
is the narrator’s reaction to and understanding of these strange events. To look
into the dark imagination where fantasy becomes reality is to evoke madness and
loss of stability. The narrator has made a journey into the unknown world of the
mind and is nearly destroyed by it. The Masque of The Red Death The story covers
a period of approximately six months during the reign of the Red Death. The
action takes place in the deep seclusion of the main charactor, Prince
Prospero’s castle, in which he has invited the higher standing people of his
village. Here these people will stay until the Red Death has passed the town by.

In party, food, wine and dancing, they will all live, while the lower class
townspeople die. The masque takes place in the imperial suite which consisted of
seven, very distinct rooms. This story has no characters in the usual sense
which stand out in order to give the story a more in-depth view to the
characters . The only character whom speaks is Prince Prospero. His name
suggests happiness and good fortune, however, ironically that is not the case.

Within the Prince’s abbey, he has created a world of his imagination with masked
figures that reflect his own personal tastes. These dancers are all a product of
the Prince’s imagination, Poe refers to them as “a multitude of
dreams.” Even when the “Red Death” enters, Poe refers to this
character as figure or a mummer who “was tall and gaunt, and shrouded from
head to foot in the habiliments of the grave.” The conflict in this story is
very obvious. On the surface it is apparent that conflict is between the “Red
Death” and the people within the castle. However, an underlying conflict can
be seen if approached correctly. In my opinion, the conflict can be seen as one
between those who feel that their lives are more precious then others, therefor
they try to escape death by secluding themselves from those with less money and
lower social status. I find the theme of this story to be the most noticeable of
all compared to other works of Poe. Poe, without question, is trying to show
that no one escapes death. Human happiness, as represented by Prince Prospero,
seeks to wall out the threat of death. Death comes like a thief is the night,
without warning. Obviously, this is shown in the story, for no walls, money, or
time was going to save these people from the inevitable appearance of the red
death. Poe, for the most part, uses an allegory as the literary theme in “The
Masque of the Red Death.” I do not see the story as one intended to scare or
keep the reader in suspense, however, more to leave the reader with a message
concerning death, and trying to prevent the inevitable. Very little description
is used throughout the story, excluding the description the most important roles
in the story; the seven rooms, and the “Red Death.” I believe this is
written the way it is in order to keep the reader focused on what is important,
what is underneath the surface. The Tell Tale Heart The story covers a period of
approximately eight days with most of the important action occurring each night
around midnight. The location is the home of an elderly man in which the
narrator has become a caretaker. The main scene takes place on the eighth night
of the story, starting at twelve o’ clock at night and ending some time after
four thirty in the morning. This story contains a nameless narrator, an old man
and the police who enter near the end of the story after the mention, that they
were called by a neighbor whose suspicions had been aroused upon hearing a
scream in the night. The narrator however, becomes the true focus of the tale.

This narrator may be male or female because Poe uses only “I” and
“me” in reference to this character. It can be assumed by the readers
that the narrator is a male because of a male author using a first person point
of view; however, it is quite possible that the narrator might very well be a
female. Poe was creating a story whose impact could be changed simply by
imagining this horrendous and vile deed being committed by a woman. The theme of
this story is based around the idea that human nature and morality can force a
person to feel a guilt so strong, that it might force you to believe things that
are not so. Human nature is a delicate balance of good and evil. Most of the
time this balance is maintained; however, when there is a shift, for whatever
reason, the dark side tends to surface. How and why this dark side emerges
differs from person to person. What may push one individual over the edge will
only cause a minor distraction in another. In this case, it is the vulture eye
of the old man that makes the narrator unable to bare his presence for much
longer. It is this irrational fear which evokes the dark side of the narrator,
and eventually leads to murder. The narrator plans, executes and conceals the
crime. However, it is not to be concealed for long, for the constant nagging of
the narrators deed is soon to evoke a confession. The conflict in “The Tell
Tail Heart” is not only between the old man and the narrator, however it is
also between the narrator and his or her own self. The conflict between the
narrator and the old man is more of a one sided disharmony. The narrator finds
the, what is to be believed, dead eye to be intolerable, however, the old man is
unaware of these feelings. The conflict is between him or her self and the eye
of the old man. That dispute seems to be settled after the murder of the old man
by the narrator. However, it is soon seen that the conflict, after all, was
between the narrator alone, not anything, or anyone else. The narrator thought
that the murder of the old man would rid him or her of the dilemma of the evil
eye, this, as was seen is not true. Even after the death, the narrator feels the
presence, and hears the heart of the old man beating. As in almost all of
Poe’s works, suspense is used plentifully throughout the story. It is used
very strongly with towards the end of the story, during the part concerning the
dead heart beating. Irony, however, is also used, although sparingly. The
perfect murder, as it was thought by the narrator, on the contrary, it failed
due to a hasty confession. The Cask of Amontillado The story begins around dusk,
one evening during the carnival season in an unnamed European city. The
atmosphere is set along the lines of the period of Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

The location quickly changes from the lighthearted activities associated with
such a festival to the damp, dark catacombs under Montressor’s large estate
which helps to establish the sinister atmosphere of the story. The change from
the lively carnival progressing in the streets, to the menacing catacombs leaves
for an interesting setting change. Although several characters are mentioned in
this story, the true focus lies upon Montresor, the diabolical narrator of this
tale of horror, who pledges revenge upon Fortunato, a long time friend of his
for an insult, said long ago, that was misinterpreted. When the two meet during
the carnival season, there is a warm greeting with excessive shaking of hands
which Montresor attributes to the fact that Fortunato had been drinking.

Montresor also appears to be happy to see Fortunato, although it is in false
pretense. Fortunato’s clown costume is appropriate for the carnival season.

however, also ironic, for what is to take place, is anything but a joke.

“The Cask of Amontillado” is a sufficient tale of revenge. Montresor
pledges revenge upon Fortunato for an insult. He intends to seek vengeance in
support of his family motto: “No one assails me with impunity.” It is
important for Montresor to have his victim know what is happening to him.

Montresor will derive pleasure from the fact that his victim, Fortunato, will
suffer the pain of being buried alive, and be aware of the fact all along. Poe
does not intend for the reader to sympathize with Montresor because he has been
wronged by Fortunato, but rather to judge him. In structure, there can be no
doubt, that both Montresor’s plan of revenge and Poe’s story are carefully
crafted to create the desired effect of pure evil. The conflict in this story is
the bond that holds the story together. As said before, the insult in-which
Fortunato inflicted on Montresor sometime in the past, has led up to this night,
in-which Montresor finds adequate to seek revenge. After a friendly meeting, and
invite back to his home, Montresor begins to bask in the pleasure of knowing
that his foes doom in approaching. Luring Fortunato with a very fine wine,
Amontillado, both men make their way to Montresor’s cask. Aware of the fact
that Fortunato is feeling the affects of the alcohol, Montresor makes his move.

The story moves to Montresor placing the bricks tier by tier to cover the wall
in-which he has chained Fortunato in. As the last brick is places, Fortunato
begins to play the whole thing off as a joke, however, he soons realizes it it
anything but that. It grows quite for a short time, but then Montresor hears the
sinister laugh of his foe followed by no explanation. Poe, using again a
customary literary technique, turns foreshadowing. Although there are hints of
other techniques, I feel that foreshadowing is best represented. Throughout the
walk towards Montresor’s casks, he is constantly dropping hints on to what is
about to take place ” the cough is merely nothing; it will not kill me. I
shall not die of a cough.” ” True, true.” Obviously, Montresor is not
intending to give away his plan, however, it seems that he is amusing himself
with his clues that Fortunato is not paying any attention to. Although it is
hinted in the beginning of the story about what is to be Fortunato’s fate, it
is never specifically stated. The clues that Montresor drops along the lines of
conversation allow us to get a clearer idea of what is to take place. The Black
Cat As the story begins, the narrator is in jail awaiting his execution, which
will occur on the following day, for the brutal murder of his wife. At that
point, the rest of the story is told in flashback, as the narrator pens. The
story moves to the events occurring prior to his crime. The narrator tells of
the events occurring, taking place mainly in his home, however, moving only
seldomly to other locations, such as the local tavern. Although several
characters are mentioned in this story, the true focus lies upon the, again
nameless narrator. He speaks of himself with the up-most regard until the events
in-which he is focusing on begin to occur. It is easy to point out that the
man’s personality had undergone a drastic transformation which he attributes to
his abuse of alcohol and the perverse side of his nature, which the alcohol
seemed to evoke. The reader also discovers that the narrator is superstitious.

Oddly, he states that he once was especially fond of animals, and he was pleased
to find a similar fondness for pets in his wife. The cat was a large, beautiful
animal who was entirely black. Pluto, as he was called, was the narrator’s
favorite pet. He alone fed him, and Pluto followed the narrator wherever he
went. Two minor roles are played by the narrators wife, and the local police
department, whom discover the body of the narrators murdered wife. “The Black
Cat” unlike “The Tell Tale Heart” does not deal with premeditated murder.

It is explained that the narrator appears to be a happily married man, who has
always been exceedingly kind and gentle. He attributes his downfall to
perverseness. Perverseness provides the rationale for otherwise unjustifiable
acts, such as killing the first cat or rapping with his cane upon the
plastered-up wall behind which stood his wife’s corpse. He had no justification
for this, yet proceeded to do so as he wished. It can be argued that what the
narrator calls perverseness is actually the working of his conscience. Guilt
about his alcoholism seems to the narrator the perverseness which causes him to
kill the first cat. Guilt about those actions indirectly leads to the murder of
his wife who had shown him the gallows on the second cat’s breast. The narrators
feeling of triumph after thinking he had covered his crime perfectly shows his
total disregard for the life of his loved one. Poe uses two literary techniques
that in-turn make up the bulk of the story. Foreshadowing and flashback are
clearly shown throughout the story. Poe’s pronounced use of foreshadowing leads
the reader from one event to the next by using such statements as “one
night,” “one morning,” “on the night of the day.”
Within the first few paragraphs of the story, the narrator foreshadows that he
will violently harm his wife. The most important foreshadowing clue given is the
fact that the story starts off with the narrator in prison awaiting his
execution, this alone shows that sometime before the conclusion of the story
that the narrators fate will take a treacherous turn. The story itself is based
upon a flashback. The narrator is writing his story as he awaits his execution,
all of what is being told had already occurred. This leaves the reader to
speculate the reasons why the narrator is telling his story from prison. Poe, in
his tradition, allows suspense to play a role through telling the story in a
flashback style. The conflict, as in “The Tell Tale Heart” is not only
between the narrator and an outside character, however, it is also with himself.

The obvious conflict is between the two black cats and the narrator. It is
stated that the conflict peeked with the minor attack of the cat on the mans
hand, however, the narrator is not sure why his feelings towards the animal
changed, although he believes that alcohol played a role in that. On the other
hand, a conflict, the most important one at that, seems to take place in the
narrator himself. Superstition mixed with the effects of alcohol seemed to place
the man in a demented state. Oddly, he committed his most brutal act of killing
his wife while he was not under the influence. It is not directly stated what
made the man snap as he did, possibly that is what Poe wanted, for us to decide
on our own. The wild, eerie and wildly tormented world of Edgar Allan Poe has
enchanted the reader of his work since after his death.. His achievements are
particularly great considering the miserable life he led, both personally and
publicly. Poe’s stories remain different, yet similar at the same time, able
to tie into each other however in a way, completely abstract from any other.

Although he was never an acclaimed writer until after his death, his work up to
this day and those preceding it, will be remembered as great works.