"Look on my works ye Mighty, and despair!" In The Palace Thief, Canin eloquently and authentically wrote, "It is critical for any man of import to understand his own insignificance before the sands of time" (207). The meaning of this quotation is that, to fully develop as a person, one must act with humility toward personal desires. Especially in the realm of confronting death, this statement contains a profound truth that is undoubtably explored in numerous pieces of literature. To start, Prince Prospero in The Masque of the Red Death epitomizes the type of character who is blind to his lack of grand importance. The story centers around his fruitless attempts to repel the Red Death, as if his status will be enough to overcome an inevitable demise. Prospero's fear and rage are a direct result of his unwillingness to observe his situation astutely. "[...] who dares insult us with this blasphemous mockery?" (Poe 5). As a result of non-conformity to the truth, Prospero dies, despondent and unfulfilled.…show more content… It takes a near death experience on the ledge of a sky rise for him to understand that his exploits are worthless; the only value his life holds is in human relationships, specifically with his wife. "He thought wonderingly of his fierce ambition and of the direction his life had taken; he thought of the hours he'd spent by himself, filling in the yellow sheet that had brought him out here. [...] a wasted life" (Finney 21). This man accepted his worth, or lack thereof, and was enabled to survive because of