"Pit and The Pendulum"

Diamond Bell
AP English III
Pit and the Pendulum
10/13/09



The “Pit and the Pendulum” was a complex and detailed story by an unnamed narrator. Edgar Allan Poe created suspense in the story that intrigued the reader even more. In "The Pit and the Pendulum," Poe was thinking of the effects of unrelieved torture and suspense. The story is focusing on fear in the reader because it focuses on sound and it exaggerates reality. Poe creates a Gothic theme to this suspenseful short story. The Pit and the Pendulum" is really focusing on of the effect terror has on the narrator. Poe creates a theme of hopeful expectations for both the reader and the narrator. He appeals more to the readers’ reactions because he didn’t reveal if the character was a boy or girl or even the name of the main character. The first sentence in the story pulls the reader in and attracts them to the story. It starts off with the sentence of the narrator saying” I was sick-sick unto death with that long agony.” That phrase brings the reader to begin to read more and more. Poe knew that he had to grasp the reader’s attention with the diction and fluency he used in the very first sentence. The narrator loses consciousness while receiving his death sentence. Poe used the unconsciousness as a persuasive act to pull the reader in by making them think of what was going to happen when the narrator regained consciousness. The unnamed narrator of the Spanish Inquisition was tormented, even though Poe did twist some of the historical facts. He was blamed for a crime and put into a completely dark room. He passed out and when he woke up he realized it was a pit in the middle of the floor and again realized it was a blade-like pendulum hanging above him. Poe captures the theme of terror and fear in the narrator and reader. He relates them both to people that are afraid of what’s going to happen next. The narrator is in fear of dying and the reader is in fear of what is going to happen to the narrator in the short story. Edgar Allan Poe created a suspenseful theme of adventure and confusion. He led the reader on and t narrator on because he didn’t know if he was going to die or not. The Gothic and thrilling story fits the title of “The Pit and the Pendulum.”