Comparing The Masque Of The Red Death And The Tell-Tale Heart

Poe's short stories, "The Masque of the Red Death", "The Fall of the House of Usher" and "The Tell-Tale Heart" are written in different view points. The view points used helps each story achieve its effect upon the reader. The third-person point of view, helps the reader to foreshadow all the events taking place. The first-person point of view, heightened the intensity of the story itself. If each stories' view point were changed along with the narrators, then the effects intended upon the reader would not have been reached.
Using first person point of view is significant in that it allows the reader to engage in the thoughts of the narrator and, thus, make a conclusion about his or her character. In Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart," the reader
can conclude based on the thoughts and remarks of the narrator that he is crazy. The narrator reveals his anxiety toward the reader and other characters several times throughout the story. For instance, he begins the story by saying, "How then am I mad?" and , "observe how healthily--how calmly I can tell you the whole story" (Poe 382). The narrator tries to prove his sanity when the reader has not yet had the opportunity to make any kind of judgment. In addition, the narrator claims to be so mentally distresses with the old man's evil eye that he has decided to commit murder. The narrator fears that the old man's eye can see how mad the narrator real is. In the end of the story the narrator actually proves to be insane, and the narrator is overwhelmed by the old man's beating heart and shouts, "and now--again! --hark! louder! louder! louder! louder!" (Poe 385). All this shows how Poe employed his point of view to achieve its effect to the reader. The story is being told through the narrator, clearly stating the narrator's insanity to the reader. If the story was told through the eyes of other characters such as Roderick in "The House of Usher", the reader would be unable to get the true picture of the sanity of the narrator.
In "The Fall of the House of Usher", the story itself is affected by the use of the first person as the basic point of view.
The narrator spends the first paragraphs reflecting on his past with Roderick. Near the end of the story, Roderick calls the narrator a "madman"; "Madman! I tell you that she now stands within the door!"(Poe 404). However, he's the only one who managed to escape the real madness as the house crumbled. This point of view allows the reader to understand the meaning of the story; that is, the inner working of the human imagination. But, at the same time, cautions us about the destructive dangers it could have for the mind. In Roderick's case, his imagination suppresses the reality and has for only results madness and mental death.
The first person point of view is used lets the reader get a good glimpse of the narrator. That way, the reader is in the same steps with the narrator. Through this point of view, the reader is able to understand the mystery and establish a link with the surroundings and the characters. Moreover, the use of that point of view takes the reader into the sick mind of Roderick Usher, which is more and more terrifying as the reader continues to learn more about this character. It sets a principle that the imagination must not come over
reality.
In The Masque of the Red Death, many people and many sights need to be seen in order to get the full effect. The reader need to overlook the entire abbey so they can get a good idea of the energy that was felt in each of the rooms and a feeling of adrenaline that is felt by each and every one of the people that noticed the masked being as the Red Death. AS many of his stories his short descriptions create vivid pictures for the reader to form in his/her mind. Poes use of the clock creates almost a staying character throughout the piece and the princes dainty, nervous personality plays off the clock well.
As for meanings to this stories i think it is better left to imagination to wonder what the red death was, half the fun is not knowing. In fact Poe gives little background or knowledge on such a pestilence as he calls it. As a very large Poe fan i believe that this is one of his finer works alongside many of the other dreary dark paintings he has give us.--endnote: the monkeys are now here to take my brain away, fed it to the orphans who run astray, pestilence is it you say, a harsh reality is what i see this day. If the first-person was used in this story, the reader wouldn't have felt their heart drop as much as it did when they oversaw the partygoers realize the masked figure was indeed the Red Death.