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King Of Darkness

Decent Essays

The King of Darkness Edgar Allan Poe is the king of darkness. Not only does he write about darkness, he finds ways to show the good; which in the long run, helps a reader to appreciate life. As well as to understand the true meaning. In the short story, The Masque of the Red Death, Poe uses symbolism to contemplate the meaning of difficult subjects that words have a hard time explaining.

While staying true to Poe’s immense style, he incorporates symbolism to strongly show the themes of life and death. The narrator powerfully explains the apartments and what is inside by saying, “the apartments were so irregularly disposed that the vision embraced, but little more than one at a time… These windows were of stained glass whose colors varied” …show more content…

No matter what a person's background is, everyone ends up in the same place. Life is ultimately just a journey to death. Poe begins the whole story by saying, “The scarlet stains upon the body, and especially upon the face of the victim, were the pest ban which shut him out from the aid, and sympathy of his fellow men” (Poe 446). Furthermore, he is trying to tell the reader that no matter someone's reputation, no matter their worth, sympathy is the last article they’ll will receive. No matter how prosperous someone is, wealth can not pay for their life. If someone is affected by something, no matter what is done, sequentially, everyone will die. This helps to realize the value of life and that it's not something that should be wasted. While in the castle, Prince Prospero decided the guests deserved a “celebration.” The narrator mentions, “It was toward the close of the fifth or sixth month of his seclusion, and while the pestilence rages most furiously abroad, that the Prince Prospero entertained his thought friends at a masked ball of the most unusual magnificence” (Poe 448). Additionally, Poe included this in the story to show that everyone can put on different faces and hide their fears and troubles.

Poe's short story, The Masque of the Red Death, shows strong examples of symbolism, leading to the theme that death does not discriminate. Although Poe has been known to show his dark side, he has

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