Doom and Burial in Poe's Work

Paper Summary:

The paper explores the central theme of burial and redemption in three of Edgar Allan Poe's short stories: "The Black Cat", "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Cask of Amontillado". The paper shows how the protagonist in "The Black Cat" falls prey to alcoholism, the young man in "The Tell-Tale Heart" imagines all manner of ills emanating from the evil eye of a man he loves and respects, while the aggrieved in "The Cask of Amontillado" wants vengeance for insults and differences of opinions from a haughty and obnoxious individual. The paper notes differences in the burials of the three victims and in the eventual fate of the killer. The paper maintains that one can see the burial as a metaphor for hell that reflects the darkness and evil in the hearts of the killers as they struggle with their personalities, their weaknesses and their fears.

From the Paper:

"Popular horror/fantasy writers such as Clive Barker and Stephen King are of the opinion that the inspiration for fear-inducing tales, novellas and novels comes from tapping into the human fear of the unknown. Indeed, for most of us, a walk through a street in the pitch dark of night where shadows seem to be jumping at us is much different than walking through the same street in broad day light. Also, any one who's experienced a visit to a cave and the tour guide switching off the lights to give visitors a sense of real darkness will realize that it is not just the darkness but complete sensory deprivation coupled with a feeling of floating."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Asimov, I. (1983) The roving mind, Prometheus Books, Buffalo, N.Y.
• Kafka, F. and Appelbaum S. (1996) The metamorphosis and other stories, Dover Publications, New York.
• Poe, E. A. and McCurdy M. (2005) Tales of terror, Alfred A. Knopf : Distributed by Random House, New York.

More papers on Doom and Burial in Poe's Work:

• Analytical Essay # 129385 : "Death and Occultism in Poe's Work"
• Analytical Essay # 116285 : "Reason and Insanity in Poe's Works"
• Essay # 49456 : "Lorca: Women and Sexuality in his Work"

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