Nightmarish Themes In Edgar Al Essay - 739 Words

Themes in Works by Edgar Allan Poe Horror stories seem to provoke a certain feeling inside all of us. They can make us scared, nervous, or even just amazed. If a horror story is told well, it can make just about any reader cringe. There are certain elements that must be in a horror story to really make it frightening. Some of these elements include the setting, the characters, a feeling of suspense, foreshadowing, and unexpected events. All of Edgar Allan Poe’s stories and poems seem to bring about a whimsical and nightmarish feeling in the reader. Poe’s life was stranger than most, which has probably helped him to create such ghastly tales. â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher†, â€Å"The Raven†, and â€Å"The Masque of Red Death† all contain those†¦show more content†¦It just lets the reader know that something is going to happen by having the stormy weather. This passage is also an example of alliteration. â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† contains many of the necessary elements that create a true horror story. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Likewise, â€Å"The Masque of Red Death† also possesses many dreamlike or nightmarish qualities. An example of this horrifying dreamlike effect is â€Å"duke’s love of the bizarre†(176). The duke’s house is arranged very strangely, which adds to the odd feeling of the story. There are seven different rooms, all of different colors with the windows matching the room colors. The last room is black with red windows. During the duke’s party, nobody goes in there because of the ominous feeling created by the room. For instance, the whole story has a dreamlike quality as the party continues into the night. A strange visitor wearing a disgusting mask comes to the party. When he arrives at midnight, everyone is alarmed and when the visitor is confronted, everyone at the party â€Å"acknowledged presence of the Red Death†(180). The masked visitor is found to have no tangible body and all partygoers are killed. The setting of t he party and the unexpected visitor that makes an appearance both make the story scary. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Finally, â€Å"The Raven† has certain attributes that make it appear nightmarish to the reader. In the story, a man hears a strange sound