Harry Houdini's Short Story 'Under The Pyramid'

Superstitions are a mysterious part of any culture, and those mysteries greatly influence mysterious writers. Edgar Allen Poe, one of the most famous mysterious authors, use the many mysterious encounters he faced as an asset for his short stories. A major influence was his time in Charleston, South Carolina, where he learned of the many superstitions and rituals of both the blacks and the whites of the area. His interests in horrific rituals like premature burials and zombication (which mainly involves voodoo, familiar to the Lowcountry Gullah culture) helped him to write horrific short stories, like “The Fall of the House of Usher.” Poe’s gory and eerie setting of the house itself and the off-putting characteristics of the Usher siblings expressed Poe’s knowledge of paranoia and interest of the “living dead,” which comes in the weird rituals of the Gullah culture.

“I was born with the devil in me. I could not help the fact that I was a murderer, no more than the poet can help the inspiration to sing.” This quote was in the confession of Dr. H.H. Holmes when he was caught in 1896. These words are very chilling due to the fact that this man is believed to had killed up to 200 people and not only thinks that he couldn’t help himself but in some ways compares himself to an artist. Holmes’ gruesome murders still inspire ideas in modern day society, such as T.V. shows like American Horror Story. It could be argued that his influence on society would be same as if he were still alive for generations to come. A human monster is a person that is not congenial with the common populace and Holmes is one of the very first recorded in American History. Herman Webster Mudgett, later known as H.H. Holmes, is a human monster created of both nature and nurture, like the fictional character named James March, and all of Holmes’ victims were subjected to the fear of death as they were usually tortured before they were killed.

     The title of my book is Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. It is written by J.K. Rowling. I really liked this book. This book is a fiction book. That of course means it’s not true.

This foreshadows to the audience about his malicious psychopathic personality, which completely differs from the aura he gives. Larson writes a hidden allusion to Jack the Ripper in the novel, a famous serial killer in the London area, comparing the many similarities that H.H. Holmes and Jack the Ripper have in common. Larson does this in order to compare the two serial killers and to show the many hidden evils that Holmes is about to reveal in Chicago. Another allusion towards Holmes was a comparison between him and the Devil. A confession by Holmes in 1896 said “I was born with the devil in me. I could not help the fact that I was a murderer, no more than the poet can help the inspiration to sing” (1). This confession explains the allusion between him and the Devil, because he mentions how he can’t help the fact that he was a murderer. This allusion alarms many individuals because the Devil is the evil spirit that brings

Charles Sobhraj was a famous serial killer in the 1970s, who was responsible for the drugging, robbing and murders of tourist he had manipulated in Southeast Asia. Which had landed him in a high security prison in Tihar which he had later escaped, earning him the name of “The Serpent” (McGirk, 1994). According to “writers…Richard Neville and Julie Clarke [named Sobhraj a] brilliant psychopath” (Dahlburg, 1997). Yet, Sobhraj was still a very egotistical man which some believe to have been the reason to which he is now facing life in prison after his initial pardon of all crimes committed. One instance that had proven his mental instability would be when he had posed as a tour guide in order to lure in naïve tourist in Southeast Asia only to drug, rob, and murder them. When Sobhraj had planned his biggest plan (known by the public) he had gotten the amount of sleeping pills and laxatives mixed up giving the tourist a chance to fight back. Through this case Sobhraj had gained worldwide recognition, in which he was known for

Throughout the book, The Red Pyramid by, Rick Riordan, the main character, Carter, changed over the course of the book due to his new found powers that led to a whole other world.

In Usher, the allegory is psychological, Zimmerman explains, and the scholar believes (along with many other scholars) that the actual "house" of Usher represents Roderick's psyche. In the story the narrator enters the house and he is then led through "many dark and intricate passages" while looking for Roderick's studio; but Zimmerman suggests that that tour through the house is actually an allegorical journey into the organs in the human skull. Poe clearly gives clues that allow the alert reader to "detect the correspondence between Roderick's cranial features and his activities and temperament" (Zimmerman, 2).

Compared to the plot structure of H.P. Lovecraft, this structure fails to create a mysterious atmosphere for the reader. When these little conflicts are brought up throughout the story, the reader expects that the protagonist will succeed in achieving his or her goal after all the failed attempts. However, with the plot structure in “The Beast In The Cave”, the reader has no idea whether the protagonist will succeed or fail, because there is nothing except tension leading up the climax. When tension is relieved at the climax, the protagonist kills the beast. This leads to a feeling of relief and regained control of the situation for both the protagonist and reader which can be seen with all horror stories despite the simplicity or complexity of the plot (Faye, Thomas 3). When “Gramma” by Stephen King was written, King managed to write a suspenseful plot while using several conflicts throughout the story; however, the readers had a sense of what was to come through mini-conflicts and some

The short story “The Rats in the Wall” by Lovecraft, told in first person narrative, gives the reader a strong sense of his feelings and emotions. The narrator is the last of his family lineage, having lost his father, wife, and son. This loss plays and influences the horrifying events throughout the story.

Until he escaped the laboratory, he had no concept of it. That was until he observes the De Lacey family, which he becomes quite fond of. He begins to grasp the concepts of human interaction. He realizes that friendship and companionship are important factors of human life. He forms a one sided friendship with them, which brings him happiness. It never occurred to him that he was destined to be alone until the family rejected him in horror. Remembering his reflection in the water, he realizes how vile he is. It was then he made the assumption that given his ghastly appearance, he therefore must be horrid on the inside as well. Paradise Lost, the novel he reads as non-fiction, strengthens his belief that he is evil. He relates to the devil, however “Satan had his companions, fellow devils to admire and encourage him, but I am solitary and abhorred.”(119). The creation concludes that he must be worse than the devil himself, for even Satan has camaraderie. Society tells him he is a monster, and therefore he decides to play the part, alienating him even

“Yet, walking down the path with her, he blurted out, ‘I’d like to go and have a look at those rocks down there,’’ (Lessing 1). During the short story, “Through the Tunnel,” Lessing shows that Jerry has an interest in breaking away from his mother early on in the story. He shows a passion for wanting to go to the wild bay, instead of staying with his mother at the safe beach for their vacation. Jerry’s transformation from boy to a young man is revealed in the settings of the safe beach, wild bay, and the journey through the tunnel.

The Allegory of the Cave has many parallels with The Truman Show. Initially, Truman is trapped in his own “cave”; a film set or fictional island known as Seahaven. Truman’s journey or ascension into the real world and into knowledge is similar to that of Plato’s cave dweller. In this paper, I will discuss these similarities along with the very intent of both of these works whose purpose is for us to question our own reality.

We will give Hobbes’ view of human nature as he describes it in Chapter 13 of Leviathan. We will then give an argument for placing a clarifying layer above the Hobbesian view in order to

why it is called the Great Pyramid of GIZA. It is near the west bank

In “The Call of Cthulhu,” H.P. Lovecraft makes use of a more psychological horror path, which is a major aspect of Lovecraftian horror. Psychological horror uses more suspense build up and shock than blood and gore. H.P. Lovecraft accomplishes this by using a buildup of suspense, not revealing the ‘monster’ till the end while hinting at what the ‘monster’ is throughout the story. H.P. Lovecraft writes the main character following his great uncle's manuscript and piecing together the puzzle of “the Great Ones.” H.P. Lovecraft also creates the sense of suspense by making the main character’s inner dialogue contain the main characters emotions and thoughts of suspect. Another example of the use of psychological horror is when Henry Anthony Wilcox dreams of “the Great Ones,” and experiences a period of mental breakdown that physicians could not identify. Once Henry Anthony Wilcox came out of the episode he remembered nothing, creating a shock factor, and making the reader ask “how did that happen?”