Edgar Allen Poe's The Masque Of The Red Death

“I never want to die” a phrase uttered by one man, but a thought nearly universal. Edgar Allen Poe’s allegorical short story The Masque of the Red Death is an unflawed demonstration of mankind’s unwillingness to face demise. In the story, a hideous plague is prevalent in the kingdom of Prince Prospero. In a selfish act to save himself and many of his light-hearted friends from the terrible pestilence, he abandons his people and shuts himself in his opulent abbey. With his only concern being to have a luxurious and enjoyable experience. The prince has a voluptuous masked ball despite the misery of his lands. Yet, the prince’s attempt to escape and forget death ultimately fails. The theme of this story is that death is inevitable and impossible to ignore. The ebony clock represents the theme, which is evident through its chime’s powerful ability to produce unwanted sentiments in Prince Prospero’s guest and the clock itself shows the progression of life. The eerie chime of the ebony clock never fails to strike fear in the guest of the prince’s ball. The purpose of the prince’s seclusion to his castle is not only an effort to save himself, but also to simply forget the tragedy occurring in his lands. To produce a world without
grief, thought, and certainly not the disease is his true goal. However, when the sound of the clock echoes through the seven apartments even “the giddiest [grow] pale” and others “[pass] their hands over their brows as if in confused reverie” (422). The pacing heart of the party comes to a momentary pause in which nervousness and fear take possession of the guest. Despite their best efforts to disregard the terror and unease associated with the destruction of the lives outside of their fortress, the noise of the clock is always successful in sparking these feelings. The demanding nature of these emotions to be acknowledged makes it utterly unmanageable to ignore them. The forceful effect that the sound has on the guest is similar to the effect that death has on people; they both create nervousness and fear in people. The sound of the ebony clock resembles death in that it is impossible to ignore and is capable of dominating all. Life is an ongoing cycle, much like time it continuously progresses until it reaches its end.
The ebony clock, with its ominous guise, is a vivid object. Its pendulum constantly swings to and fro and its ring sounds at every hour. This movement throughout the story shows that the clock does not just tell time but also shows life. From the moment of birth, one’s time to live constantly wanes away until their clock stops. In Poe’s story when the presence of death is finally acknowledged, “life of the ebony clock [goes] out with the last of the gay”(427) revelers. Showing that time does have its end and is inescapable. Death is an essential part of existence and ignoring it has no effect because one needs to die to have
lived. Prince Prospero’s story illustrates a man’s valiant effort to avoid the unavoidable. As the text expresses, death is inescapable and undeniable. The ebony clock’s ability to move the people so strongly shows death’s power, and the life and death of the clock of ebony show unavoidability of life’s end. Demise is an intimidating reality and is difficult to accept, but it is much too powerful to disregard or escape.