Tara McClanaghan

Mr. Provenzano

Honors American Literature

16 March 2012

Poe’s Obsession with Death

            Death is a topic that people do not typically like to discuss. It is frequently tiptoed around and pushed aside, however, Edgar Allan Poe chose to do quite the opposite in his short stories and poems. The vast majority of Poe’s works are centered around the topic of death. Through his repeated use of death as a major theme in almost all of his works it can be seen that Poe had an obsession with death. Specifically in his short stories: “The Fall of the House of Usher”, “The Premature Burial”, “The Black Cat”, “The Pit and the Pendulum”, and “The Masque of Red Death”.

            In Poe’s short story, “The Fall of the House of Usher” the narrator has to take care of his old friend, Roderick Usher, who has a mental condition. The Roderick and his sister are the last descendents of the Usher family. When the sister, Madeline Useher, is proclaimed dead Roderick and the narrator bury her in the family tomb, they face a horrifying surprise, however, when she later bursts through the door of the room they are in, alive. The shock of this event ends up killing both of the remaining Usher’s leaving the narrator to flee the house. The house itself symbolizes the family and it collapses as the narrator runs from it. Poe’s fixation on death is clear in his zealous descriptions of death. “… with a low moaning cry, fell heavily inward upon the person of her brother, and in her violent and now final death-agonies, bore him to the floor a corpse,” (Poe, “The Fall of the House of Usher”). Though Roderick’s death was technically sudden, his mental state had been slowly unraveling.  When Poe speaks about death it is clear that it is a topic that he is passionate about. Poe used the concept of being buried alive in other stories as well as “The Fall of the House of Usher”.

In both “The Fall of the House of Usher” and “The Premature Burial” the concept of being buried alive is a major theme. In “The Fall of the House of Usher” the narrator and his good friend Roderick bury Roderick’s sister alive thinking that she is dead. Similarly, the entirety of “The Premature Burial” tells of many cases in which people, including the narrator, were accidently buried alive. In the case of “The Fall of the House of Usher”, Madeline Usher manages to escape from her tomb, however, in the end her fate . Poe uses the common fear of being buried alive to frighten his readers and that is intensified because being buried alive is relatively realistic during the time period. “He is senseless and externally motionless; but the pulsation of the heart is still faintly perceptible; some traces of warmth remain; a slight color lingers within the centre of the cheek…”(Poe, “The Premature Burial”). When describing the state of those who could be mistaken as dead Poe is well versed. He has a good understanding of the physical state of both bodies that appear to be dead and corpses and portrays them  both vividly. Both of these stories show Poe’s obsession with death through their detailed descriptions of death and the fact that it is a common theme in these and many of his other stories.

Another one of Poe’s short stories, “The Black Cat”, is an example of Poe’s passion for death. In it, a man who claims to be sane is, in actuality, on a downward spiral of alcoholism which results in him killing his wife. In an attempt to cover up the murder he puts his wife’s corpse inside of a wall in his basement. The man is overly confident when the police come to his house and he ends up being given away by the screeching of his cat that had been hiding in the wall with his wife’s dead body. After killing his favorite pet cat, Pluto, earlier in the story, the man felt remorse, however, when he murdered his wife by taking an axe to her head, he only worried about how he would dispose of the body. “This hideous murder accomplished, I set myself forthwith, and entire deliberation, to the task of concealing the body. I knew that I could not remove it from the house,” (Poe, “The Black Cat”). Any remorse that he may have felt at the beginning of the story slowly faded as the story progressed and his rage and alcoholism worsened. Though this story is not written from Poe’s perspective, it does reflect his personality. The narrator being on a killing spree is an extension of Poe’s own fixation with death.  

“The Pit and the Pendulum” is yet another example of one of Poe’s works about facing death. In it the main character does not die, however, he is sentenced to death and narrowly escapes it. He is locked in a dungeon where he would have been killed had it not been for the arrival of the French army. This work differs from the others in that the main character does not end up dying, however, Poe is still focuses on death as the center of the story. The man was expecting to be hung, but he was relieved when he awoke in a dungeon. The narrator in this story survives only because upon facing death, instead of panicking he was resourceful. “Its sweep was brief, and course slow. I watched it for some minutes, somewhat in fear, but more in wonder,” (Poe, “The Pit and the Pendulum”). Though Poe does not end up killing the narrator, he has him face death multiple times. When the pendulum was headed for his heart, the narrator was quick on his feet, which kept him alive. Though Poe did not believe that death could be cheated simply by hiding, he did allow this character to stay alive because he was intuitive, unlike the wealthy characters in “The Masque of Red Death”.   

In “The Masque of Red Death” the Red Death is a plague that bares striking resemblance to the Black Death (Bubonic plague). The characters in the story are wealthy and greedy, most of all Prince Prospero. They try to escape the plague by hiding from it in the prince’s mansion. Death, however, manages to find them. “And now was acknowledged the presence of the Red Death. He had come like a thief in the night. And one by one dropped the revelers in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel, and died each in the despairing posture of his fall,” (Poe, “The Masque of Red Death”). Death itself is represented by the man who brought the disease into the mansion. Had they not all gathered together in the prince’s mansion some of them may have had a chance to survive, but because they thought they had cheated death, they all ended up dying. This story is a prime example of Poe’s obsession of death. The story is about the fact that no one, rich or poor, can escape death and that everyone’s time will come. Though this is true, it shows how morbid Poe’s writing was.  

            All five of these stories share one common theme, death. Poe’s obsession with death is made apparent through these works; he shows a great understanding of death and manages to depict it in great detail. Death consumed Poe’s life and that is reflected in his writing. In nearly all of Poe’s works death is the underlying theme, which shows that Poe had a fascination with death that can only be described as an obsession.

Bibliography

Poe, Edgar Allan. "The Works of Edgar Allan Poe Volume II." Project Gutenberg's 
     The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, by Edgar Allan Poe. David Widger, 19 May 
     2008. Web. 16 Mar. 2012. <http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2148/2148-h/ 
     2148-h.htm#2H_4_0015>.

"Short Stories by Edgar Allan Poe." PoeStories.com An Exploration of Short 
     Stories by Edgar Allan Poe. N.p., 2012. Web. 16 Mar. 2012. 
     <http://poestories.com/stories.php>.

Faust Ledgend

            On a humid summer day in Georgia all you can hear is the sound of an old wooden rocking chair rocking back and forth, back and forth. The chair sits on a porch of an old wooden house. In it sits a man whose age can only be matched by the house he sits in front of. He looks out onto a dirt road that leads to an old plantation house. The man does not look pleased.

            The road he over looks is one of the few that is still unpaved. The road does not get much use because the owner of the plantation house does not get many visitors. The house is owned by one of the only people in this small town that is managing to prosper in today’s economy. No one knows how he manages and few question it.

            This day started off no different from any other. The old man, Mr. Williams, got up, got dressed, ate, and went to his post. Most days nothing happened. Today was not most days. A car drove down the little street that only had one destination, the old plantation house. A beat up pick-up covered in as much dirt as road it drove on. The sound of the car’s engine startled Williams, it had been a while. Since his retirement Williams saw this as his sole purpose in life. Eric had his window rolled down and he heard the man say something.

“Don’t,” he uttered only one word. He wasn’t pleading, it was no longer out of desperation, he had been at it for so long. He knew what the man was getting himself into. Nearly fifty years earlier Williams’ brother-in-law had made the same decision as this man would and it had disastrous results.

            The car drove on. Behind the wheel was stocky, middle aged man. He was sweating and not only because of the heat. When he reached his destination he became even more overwhelmed. The house was massive and covered with ivy. The yard had been overrun by shrubbery; the owner of the house clearly had other priorities. When he pulled up to the house the gates opened automatically startling the man. Once he was through the gates he parked his car and got out stumbling to get on his feet. The walk to the door took days it seemed and when he finally reached it it opened and in the doorway stood a tall, lean man with a foreboding grin across his face and greasy black hair. He wore a tailor made pin stripped suit and shoes that surely cost more than the other man’s car.  

“Come in,” he said. A phrase commonly associated with warm hospitality, but from his mouth it was an order. The stocky man said nothing and did as he was told. Once inside the man began to question coming. Did he need the money that badly? The answer to that question was no. Eric Thompson didn’t need anything.

            It was just as hot inside the house as it was outside, a man as rich as this could have surely afforded air conditioning. They walked through the house down a long hallway until they reached a massive wooden door that opened to a large office where the tall man sat down at his desk. This was the only chair in the room leaving Eric to stand awkwardly in front of the desk. He faced a wall that was covered in hooks each holding a different necktie.

“You want something from me,” said the man, Damon Brown, who was sitting at the desk.

“Yes… sir.”

“You know nothing in life comes for free, don’t you?”

“Yes sir, do I need to sign any forms?”

“No, I just need your word.”

“You have my word, and my soul.”

“You’ll have your money by the end of the week.”

“Thank you.”

They shook hands and that was that. Even Eric didn’t think it would be that easy. He got in his car and drove home where his wife was waiting for him in the kitchen, with dinner on the table. She had a black eye and a split lip, both partially covered by make-up.

“So, how did it go?” she said meekly.

“I took care of it like I take care of everything,” he said harshly.

“When do we get the money?”

“I get the money within the week.”

The week went on and that Friday evening the doorbell rang. Emily Williams opened the door, but no one was there. She looked in the mailbox and found a check for $100,000. The sight of it nearly knocked her off her feet. She went inside and walked into the living room where her husband was sitting. He looked up and saw the check in her hands and jumped to her feet. He snatched the check out her hands, looked at it, and grinned.

“I’ll take this to the bank first thing in the morning,” he said sounding thrilled.  

            Emily had a new bruise on her face because Thursday’s dinner was not up to Eric’s standards. They went to bed and the next morning Eric woke up with no one lying next to him. This did not alarm him, in fact it usually meant that Emily was already in the kitchen making him breakfast. He went downstairs to the kitchen expecting to sit down to a nice meal, but the kitchen was empty. He called for Emily, but there was no reply. After checking every room in the house and seeing that the car was still in the drive way he began to worry. He ran to his office and opened up the safe where he had put the check. It was gone.

She left no note or explanation. She was gone. He told himself that she would come back, she was afraid of him, of course she would come back and when she did he would make that bruise on her face look like a paper cut.

 She never came back.

The years went on and Eric Williams grew old. Over the years he had tried multiple times to get more money from the Devil, Damon Brown, pleading that he didn’t get to spend a penny of the first payment, but he received the same reply each time.

“No.”

Forty years went by and it was Eric’s time. Late one evening there was a knock on the door and Eric was hesitant to answer. He didn’t have visitors and knew that this could only mean one thing. He opened the door and saw Damon hovering over him with a smile on his face, he hadn’t aged a day and wore the same pin stripped suit that he wore the day Eric met him. The old man broke down. He begged and pleaded with the Devil, but received no sympathy.

“I didn’t even get the money, my wife did! It’s her soul you want, not mine!”

“But it’s your necktie I’ll be hanging in my office.”  

Mock Trial Verdict Reaction

            We were told to go into the trial and set aside any preconceived notions that we may have had. I voted guilty because of the unreliable testimonies by the defense witnesses Huck, the duke, and Mark Twain, the prosecution’s argument of the books effect, and the testimony that Jim gave.

            In his testimony Huck claimed to have not been influenced by society. However, he also said that he only used the word ‘nigger’ because that was all he had ever know. Huck also said that he did not consider Jim to be his property, but on page 209 in the book he refers to Jim as “his”. Similarly, the duke’s testimony was very unreliable. He claimed to not judge anyone based on the color of his skin, but we know him to be a con-man who cannot be trusted, so why should we trust his testimony on Twain’s behalf. Mark Twain’s testimony can also not be taken as fact. In theory he is the only person who can tell us whether or not he is racist, however if he were racist, what reason would he have to tell the truth? Though he was under oath, no one could prove him wrong and he therefore could have said anything about his intent to defend himself.

            Mark Twain was an intelligent man who knew that what he was writing would create controversy. He even admitted to this under oath. The prosecution argued that the books outcome made Mark Twain racist by offending African Americans. They also argued that through the use of the word ‘nigger’ over 200 times in the novel Twain was being racist. By using this derogatory word over 200 times Twain insulted many African Americans and that is racism. Regardless of what Twain said in his testimony his novel is offensive. Satire aside he did intent to bring up a controversial topic and in doing so he was being racist.

            In my opinion the prosecution’s two strongest witnesses were Jim and Pap. Jim told the court that he was discriminated against and although he viewed Huck as a friend, he had to take care of him. Jim’s testimony was reliable because it was backed by evidence from the book. Though Jim is not the protagonist in the novel he is the only main character who is African American. Some might argue that Twain portrayed Jim as intelligent once you get to know him as a way of defending African Americans, however Jim was mistreated regardless of his intelligence or kindness. Huck and Jim were friends, however Twain did not ever portray them as equals in order to make a point. Jim’s characteristics were also defined in the book as “white characteristics”. This shows that both Twain and all of the white characters in the novel defined Jim’s only good qualities as those that would normally belong to a white person. This trial proved that because of the effects of the book Mark Twain is a racist.    

The chapters in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn that star the Grangerfords contain humor, sadness, and an allusion to the play, Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare. There is some subtle humor when Huck first asks Buck about the feud between the Grangerfords and the Shepherdsons. “‘What was the trouble about, Buck?¾land?’ ‘I reckon maybe¾I don’t know.’ ‘Well, who done the shooting? Was it a Grangerford or a Shepherdson?’ ‘Laws, how do I know? It was so long ago’” (Twain 110).  The feud in itself is no laughing matter, however, the fact that there is no longer any living person who knows why the feud began in the first place is comical. People are killing each other and no one except for Huck even stops to ask why. Huck views the feud how most people would, as medieval. He does not understand it, but it is the only life that the Grangerfords have ever known. Though the Grangerfords are a generally happy family there are aspects of their lives that are a bit morbid.      

Both from the feud and other causes the Grangerfords have lost many family members. Emmeline was Buck’s sister and she was known for her artistic talents, primarily writing poems for the dead. Huck stumbled across Emmeline’s old room only to discover a shrine to her that was kept in perfect condition. “Poor Emmeline made poetry about all the dead people when she was alive, and it didn’t seem right that there warn’t nobody to make some about her now she was gone…” (106). On the surface the Grangerfords appear to be very happy. This quote reveals a darker side to their lives.  Though they are friendly people the Grangerfords are a bit morbid. While most people would view their relationship with the Shephersons as barbaric they do not think anything of it. The Grangerfords’ lives also contain an allusion to the play Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare.    

In the play, Romeo and Juliet, the two main characters come from rival families and get married in secret because they would never be given their parent’s blessings. This bears a striking resemblance to the scene in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in which Sophia Grangerford and Harney Shepherdson run off to get married. “‘Well, den, Miss Sophia’s run off! ‘deed she has. She run off in de night some time¾nobody don’t know jis’ when; run off to get married to dat young Harney Shepherdson’” (114). The families in both scenarios fight violently and most interactions end in death for one or both families. This is one allusion in the book that has remained timeless. The fact that Shakespeare’s plays have remained so well known adds to the timelessness of Twain’s novel. The Grangerfords give insight into the time period in which Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was written. Huck gets to see both the ironic and dark sides of the Grangerfords’ lives. 

Huck Finn Post 2

The relationship between Jim and Huck throughout the novel is that of a father and son. They depend on one another to make their way north and it is evident that they also care about each other’s safety. “Come in, Huck, but doan’ look at his face- it’s too gashly.” (Twain 57). When Huck and Jim stumble across a dead body Jim looks out for Huck’s wellbeing as a father would. Jim cares about Huck’s wellbeing and does not want to see him get hurt. Jim teaches Huck many different superstitions, some of which are true. Jim told Huck that it was going to rain based off of what he saw the birds doing. Soon after, Huck said, “Pretty soon it darken up, and begun to thunder and lighten; so the birds was right about it,” (55). Jim’s knowledge of the wilderness earns him Huck’s respect and loyalty.

When Huck and Jim are discussing the story of King Solomon Huck says, “‘But I tell you you don’t get the point.’” Then Jim replies, “‘Blame de point! I reck’n I knows what I knows,’” (82). Although Jim is reluctant to change his mind Huck is still able to teach him things. Huck and Jim depend on each other in order to survive. Jim needs Huck to stay loyal to him and not turn him in to the authorities before he can reach his freedom. Huck needs Jim because Jim knows more about survival in the wilderness that Huck does. Though they are codependent Jim still acts as a father figure for Huck because Huck has never had a male role model that he could trust. Jim does need Huck in order to make his way to freedom, however it is also clear that he does not just care about Huck for purely selfish reasons. Huck and Jim have a paternalistic relationship in which the mutually support each other in order to make it through their journey to freedom.

Huck Finn Post 1

It is clear in the first few chapters of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain that Huck tries to come across as a rebel who does not take orders from anyone. However, after a while it is easy to see that Huck is all talk. I believe that Huck is independent, very superstitious, and although he is rough around the edges he actually has good intentions. While it might seem that Huck has no regards for the Widow Douglas and her attempts to straighten him out, it is apparent that Huck does not want to disappoint the widow. “… but the widow she didn’t scold, but only cleaned off the grease and clay, and looked so sorry that I thought I would behave a while if I could.”(Twain 8). This scene shows that Huck does have a guilty conscience and does not like to upset the widow by disobeying her. As I mentioned Huck is also very superstitious. When he knocks over a salt shaker and the widow will not let him toss some over his shoulder he spends the whole day worrying about it. He also worries about the return of his father.

Upon meeting Huck’s father I realized that Huck was not given any sort of chance at a normal life. Growing up, he did not have a mother and was forced to put up with constant abuse from is drunken father. “‘I’ll lay for you, my smarty; and if I catch you about that school I’ll tan you good’” (14). His father does not believe in any sort of education and ridicules Huck for having received one (however slight it may be). It is no surprise that Huck does not enjoy dressing nicely and acting civilized when his father beats him for it when he finds out. Huck’s lack of guidance forced him to be very independent and to have to be able to fend for himself at a very young age. Huck may seem impolite to most, but he was dealt a bad hand. Overall, despite being raised by an unreliable drunk Huck did turn out to be a decent person.        

Transcendentalist Society Con/Pro Essay

The Burself Islands are an appealing place to live for numerous reasons. The climate and atmosphere are both peaceful and inviting. Burself is an accepting place to live, however it could not be considered a fully transcendentalist society. Although some may believe that transcendentalist societies are possible to sustain because they require a system of government, laws, and an educational system they would not be possible in today’s world.  

It could be argued that Burself could be a fully functioning transcendentalist society because everyone has the freedom to come and go as they please. No one is trapped and forced to live in Burself. Even people who are not Burselfians can come and go. Everyone is welcome, but there is no pressure to stay. Like any other society there is no limit to what you can become, however in Burself opportunities are even vaster because it is a self sustaining society that requires everyone to explore themselves and obtain specialized careers. Burself is very accepting of people’s differences and encourages people to embrace their differences. Though all of this is true Burself, or any other society, could never actually be fully transcendentalist.        

In order to maintain some order on the islands there are chiefs in charge of each island. This means that some Burselfians have power over others. Putting some people above others places less value on the individual and starts to create a hierarchy. Also, Burself has a public education system. This makes it impossible for children to truly be themselves. Schools are necessary for a society to function properly, however, they are places of conformity and are not home to true transcendentalists. The influences of others can never be fully blocked out. This is especially true for children. No child can be a transcendentalist in a society such as this because their ideas and opinions are constantly being manipulated by their parents, teachers, and everyone else in their community.

A society as a whole cannot be transcendentalist. Transcendentalists stand out in a crowd and that is how they are identified. In any society conformity will begin to occur because it is human nature to want to fit in. Some societies are more accepting than others, but all societies must have rules and guidelines to operate properly. This is problematic because laws negate the transcendentalist aspects of Burself. On Burself there are five main actions that are prohibited, this in its self means that the society could not truly be a transcendentalist society. Transcendentalists are people who are completely true to themselves whatever that may mean and it is impossible to be yourself under a set of guidelines. Transcendentalist societies have been attempted in the past, but none have succeeded. Burself would fail as well because it would face the same problems as past societies. People cannot be forced into being themselves because that defeats the fundamental goal of transcendentalism.      

All societies require a certain amount of conformity to function. Everyone must abide by the same laws and get at least a high school education. Societies have requirements and because of that no one society can be home to only transcendentalists. Though it is a very accepting society, Burself would not stay afloat for long as a transcendentalist society because it requires a form of government, a system of laws, and some form of education.