Symbolism In Masque Of The Red Death

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Masque of The Red Death by Edgar Allen Poe is a story with multiple meanings, depending on the reader point of view the description the author uses has more then one meaning . Regardless your point of view the ending is the same, is a tragic story, where arrogance and abuse of power paid a large price. Nothing or anything can stop death, death is something all humans face, is the end of a large cycle called life. Edgar Allen Poe describes a fictitious land where a epidemic called the Red Death is killing everyone at a rapid pace. The prince who is someone feeling happy and confident orders to close the gates preventing the spread of the illness inside the castle. The prince was in a better position of power then everyone else in the land…show more content…
This progression from east to west, performed by both Prospero and the new guest, symbolizes the human cycle from birth to death. Edgar Allen Poe uses the last, black room as the obvious endpoint of life , the room the guests fear the most, just as they fear death. The clock that is over that room also reminds the guests of death’s ending judgment. The hourly ringing of the bells is a reminder of the concluding of time, inexorable and ultimately personal.The masquerade ball was a bad idea, it let people from outside the castle in it also gave them a discuss to get between people no one would've got suspicious of someone with little humor to coke dressed as the Red Death. Even when people saw the guy and fell uncomfortable no one dared to stop him not even the guards because they thought it was just a simple guest. Prospero explode his wealth trying to stay safe from the illness spreading around the country. The story can be view from that point too, the different social class that exited on that era, the poor people died first because they didn't have all the resources or the money to stay ways and fight the Red Death, this point of view also transfer to our society now days, an example of this was hurricane Katrina…show more content…
The end of the story shows that doesn't matter who you are, doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor The masquerade urges the leave of social conventions and hard senses of personal identity. However, the mysterious guest illuminates the extent to which Prospero and his guests police the limits of social convention. When the mysterious guest uses his costume to portray the fears that the masquerade is designed to counteract. The fall of the prince and the subsequent deaths of his guests follow from this logic of the masquerade: when revelry is unmasked as a defense mechanism against fear, then the raw exposure of what lies beneath is enough to kill. The Author wanted the readers to learn about how none can scape death and while we live our life to make the most out of it, help the people that need help, to let people help you, don’t be arrogant and selfish that wont take you anywhere good, it will take you to materialistic happiness but not to real love, “what comes around goes around”. Edgar Allen Poe also pointed out that the bureaucracy being used in this era and country was not working, it was an unsuccessful regime that only lead to death. The Red Death represents, both literally and allegorically, death. Prospero’s arrogant belief that he can use his wealth to fend off the natural, tragic progress of life lead him to be punish in a horrible way. Although the prince had the wealth to
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