Symbolism In The Masque Of The Red Death

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Symbols in the Masque of the Red Death Do you ever wonder about a hidden symbol in a story? Perhaps there is a double meaning to a saying. Or maybe a mystery has a mystifying plot twist. Edgar Allan Poe was one of the first people to write these stories. In “The Masque of the Red Death”, Poe helps the reader think twice as hard to locate his concealed symbols in messages. By creating the different colored rooms, the gigantic ebony clock, and the mysterious specter, Poe gives the reader something to anticipate. Poe hides a symbol behind the colorful rooms. The narrator says, “That at the eastern extremity was hung, for example, in blue—and vividly blue were its windows” (Poe 58). This very first room starts in the east with a light and cheery blue. It represents the beginning of life, birth. After the vivid blue, the rooms turn purple, and then green, which symbolize youth and liveliness. Then the rooms turn orange, then white, and then violet, which symbolize aging and lethargy. Finally, black comes around the corner. The narrator…show more content…
At the stroke of midnight, the specter, also known as the Red Death, appears inside the castle. The speaker states that “The whole company, indeed, seemed now deeply to feel that in the costume and bearing of the stranger neither wit nor propriety existed” (Poe 60). Even the people realize this spirit seems to signify the angel of death. The narrator says, “When the eyes of Prince Prospero fell upon this spectral image…he was seen to be convulsed” (Poe 60). In this story, Prospero is being chased by the Red Death, and he runs through all the rooms, which represent the stages of life. He finally reaches the black room of death, dagger in hand and ready to fend off the invader, only to be killed with his own weapon. This scene represents the ever-looming death, and that it is inevitable. You cannot hide from it. Consequently, the specter was illustrated to mimic
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