Comparison Of Poes Horror Stories English Literature Essay
Edgar Allan Poe ( 1809 – 1849 ) was a celebrated poet in America who wrote many narratives and verse forms ( Hossick 28 ) . He was besides an editor every bit good as a author and he worked with several diaries and printing places. He is most celebrated for his narratives of enigma. It is believed that Edgar Allan made a generous part to the genre of scientific fiction through his narratives and verse forms of enigma. The most outstanding narratives by this poet are the black cat, the cask of Amontillado, William Wilson and the adult male of the crowd. These four narratives are the country of involvement in this paper and a comparing in the subjects of the four narratives will be made.
Discussion
THE STORIES
BLACK CAT
This narrative is narrated by Edgar himself and he explains that the narrative is inspired by his childhood passion for domestic animate beings. The narrative is about him and his favourite pet, a cat named as Pluto. Pluto and Edgar were good friends until Edgar changed suddenly, became violent and a rummy. The state of affairs worsened and Edgar killed the cat, an act that haunted him and prompted him to look for another cat to replace Pluto with. The new black cat does non convey peace to Edgar and the narrative ends with Edgar killing both the black cat and his married woman. The storyteller takes the audience through the narrative with tonss of symbolism and imagination.
The chief subject of this narrative is the adult male ‘s fright of the unknown such as the fright of darkness, semblance and infinites. In the narrative, Edgar finds his house on fire after killing Pluto, and subsequently he sees an image of a immense cat on the wall of his house. Contrariness is besides a subject in this narrative where the comforter feeling by Edgar causes fear in his life ( Barger and Poe, 59 ) . There is besides the subject of ego devastation which is shown by the manner Edgar brings problem to himself through alcohol addiction and his violent actions. Another subject is the subject of retribution ( Lippmann 45 ) . The black cat hangouts Elgar in order to revenge its decease and in the terminal of the narrative, the cat alerts draws the attending of the constabulary to the Acts of the Apostless of Elgar. The most outstanding elements in this narrative are the elements of horror and superstitious notion. It is superstitious notion that makes Edgar believe that he has seen a cat on the wall of his burnt house, a symbol of Pluto hanging on the snare. Another of import component in the narrative is the cat itself, which plays the functions of an histrion, symbol, and a device to develop the secret plan. It doubles up as both a existent animal and a shade by deceasing and another cat re-emerging in the narrative. This component of doubling is used in German folklore to mean bad fortune or bad portents. The name Pluto is besides symbolic as harmonizing to Roman mythology, the name symbolizes decease or bad lucks. The narrative is besides equivocal, with the inquiry of whether the reappearance of the cat was natural or superstitious being left unreciprocated.
CASK OF AMONTILLADO
In this narrative the storyteller, Montressor, is non happy as the others during the one-year jubilation of the beginning of Lentern season. The ground why he is non happy is because of the many discourtesies committed against him by Furtunato. Montressor is out to avenge and he looks for an chance to make so. He uses a new vino by the name of Amontillado as come-on to catch Furtunato and he succeeds and kills him viciously. The subjects in the narrative are retaliation, misrepresentation and pride. Montressor is out to avenge against Fortunato for the many offenses he has committed, the most recent one being an abuse. Deception is another subject shown by the manner the manner Montressor uses Amontillado to entice Fortunato to the catacombs where he kills him. Pride is evidenced by the believe Fortunato has on his ability to cognize whether the vino presented to him is genuinely Amontillado. He believed in his ability even though he was non sober and he was besides ailing ( Barger and Poe 88 ) .
WILLIAM WILSON
The narrative is narrated by a individual on the brink of decease, and it foremost builds on flash back. He is disturbed and seeks to acquire the reader to sympathise with him by informing the reader that his bad workss were out of ineluctable fortunes. One subject of the narrative is the enemy within, which means destructing oneself or working against 1s involvements through alcohol addiction, drug maltreatment and others. There is an interior spirit that develops within us and do fright of some things, depression or deficiency of slumber. Harmonizing to Barger and Poe, the storyteller is confronting such a state of affairs and in his battle to get the better of it, he fights against himself and loses ( 620 ) . The other subject is the subject of panic which is shown by the manner the storyteller struggles to contend against an fanciful enemy.
THE MAN OF THE CROWD
This is the narrative of a adult male in the streets of London who has been enduring from an unknown unwellness. His sits outside and starts categorising passers by where he notices one old adult male and follows him. The chase extends to the following twenty-four hours and the adult male is non able to understand the mission of the old adult male. The chief subject in this narrative is the subject of enigma which is shown in the manner the immature adult male can non categorise the old adult male from the expressions, as opposed to the other people in the streets. Even after following the old adult male for a long clip, the adult male can non state the motivations of the old adult male and leaves the reader to happen out for themselves ( Barger and Poe 298 ) .
COMPARISON OF THE STORIES
Through out the four narratives, there are some subjects that seem to repeat, which are insanity as opposed to reason, compulsion, adult male and decease, dual individuality, love or hatred, wonder, resolve among others. About insanity and reason, in the four narratives there are people whose determinations are non driven by reason but by an component of insanity. In the Black cat, the insanity was brought by influence from intoxicant and Elgar is non in control of his determinations ( Lippmann 68 ) . Besides, in the Cask of Amontillado, Fortunato is driven by inebriation to accept the challenge to prove the vino. The same instance applies to the narrative William Wilson who is so disturbed that his determinations are non rational. In the adult male of the crowd, the adult male is driven by an nameless illness to sit lazily in a java store and categorize people. His move to follow an old adult male for so long is besides an insane determination since he does non stand to profit from detecting who the old adult male was.
Another common subject in the narratives is compulsion. The characters in the narratives are obsessed with different things and this compulsion is a beginning of bad lucks or decease to the characters. In the Black cat, the storyteller is obsessed with the cat, his favourite pet and intoxicant while in the narrative of the cask of Amontillado ; Fortunato is obsessed with intoxicant ( Lippmann 176 ) . There is besides the compulsion with detecting the truth in the adult male of the crowd. In the narrative of William Wilson, the storyteller is obsessed with contending against ego and wining.
Throughout the narratives, dual individuality is used to develop the secret plan. In the black cat, the black cat doubles as a both a natural animal every bit good as a shade by deceasing and re-emerging. In the narrative of the cask of Amontillado, the vino doubles as something to hearten up Fortunato and besides as something to kill him. In the narrative William Wilson, the storyteller ‘s battle against self consequences to both a win and a loss while in the narrative the adult male of the crowd, the immature adult male doubles as the adult male we know every bit good as a cryptic adult male.
In the narratives, Elgar has employed the usage of symbolism, anaphora and first individual narrative in his work. In the narrative of the black cat, the cat is used to typify bad luck. In the cask of Amontillado, the name ‘Amontillado ‘ is besides used to demo bad fortune. Anaphora is reiterating a phrase or a word before the beginning of lines frequently to demo accent and create balance. In the narrative of the black cat, he uses anaphora as shown in the line “ … I blush, I burn, I shudder, while I penaˆ¦.. ” ( Barger and Poe 62 ) and in the narrative of William Wilson, anaphora is shown in the line “ aˆ¦The same name! The same contour of individual! The same of reaching… ” ( Barger and Poe 625 ) .Irony is besides used as shown in the narrative of the black cat. The cat which was ab initio a great friend to Edgar turned to be an enemy and cause of problem to him. In the cask of Amontillado, when Montressor gives Fortunato vino, he toasts “ to his long life ” cognizing really good that H would kill him. When they are go uping the steps, he besides tells him that his life is respected, which was non true since he was be aftering to kill him.
Decision
Allan Edgar was a good author who used assorted tools in his short narratives to develop the narrative every bit good as to convey out the assorted subjects. His favourite subjects were mystery, compulsion and retaliation and these are common in most of his plants ( Hossick 67 ) . He used the first individual narrative since it is more captivating and besides convenient. His short narratives are enlightening, thrilling every bit good as entertaining due to his literature accomplishments.
