"The Pit and the Pendulum"

The characteristics of dark romanticism are quickly introduced into the short story "The Pit and the Pendulum" by Edgar Allan Poe. The narrator immediately tells of his despair and sickness, saying that he felt his senses were leaving him (Poe). The setting is also very mysterious in the beginning, another characteristic of dark romanticism, and even when the setting is first revealed to be in some kind of apartment with thick curtains and candles all around. However, the setting soon changes and is less obvious, seeming to be a prison or dungeon of sorts, and the reader still does not know what led the main character/narrator to be there, and where exactly the narrator is, other than just a nondescript prison. It seems that the narrator then begins to hallucinate, adding more mystery to what is real and what is not. The ideas of dark romanticism are anti-transcendentalism, meaning that beauty and nature and individuality are not important. Poe writes garish, ugly scenes, but this descriptive imagery allows you to put the picture in your head and draw some of your own conclusions. This continued air of mystery draws the reader in further and is one of the biggest parts of dark romanticism.

The reader is still totally out of the loop for what is really going on in the story, so Poe supplies little flashbacks here and there. The narrator seems to have been captured somehow, with people looming over him and of the horror that the narrator felt upon being captured (Poe). The intense imagery that Poe uses in the story is also consistent with dark romanticism ideas, and this is evident throughout the entire story. The narrator notes while in his dungeon that "the darkness of eternal night encompassed me" (Poe), and the darkness and added despair in the story is highlighted and emphasized several times as the reader continues through the narrators ordeal. This focus on darkness and nighttime is important, showing the dark and Gothic qualities of the writing style.

As the reader, I cannot help but wonder if the story is entirely truthful. A lot of dark romanticism stories try and trick the reader, making dreams and thoughts seem like a true part of the story, and then changing course suddenly. However, the reader can never really know if they are being tricked until the author decides to make it clear that all is not as it seems.

One of the strongest elements of "The Pit and the Pendulum" is pure fear. The narrator is terrified, not knowing where he really is and not able to remember how he even got there with the exception of a few hazy and nondescript details. He is obviously terrified of whatever dungeon he is trapped in, and dreads what is to come. Eventually, he escapes his torture chamber by falling into a pit of some sort, only to be terrified once more by the swinging pendulum with razor like blades that comes closer and closer to him with each swing. The narrator continues to agonize and despair, making the story seem darker and darker with every word. It seems as if hysteria begins to overtake him, distorting mind and his senses and his death seemingly continues to draw nearer. More and more troubles are encountered by the narrator as the story continues, making the story characteristically suspenseful, both by Poe's standards and the standards of dark romanticism. The story ends with unexpected salvation, and the truth about the mystery is revealed.

Poe, Edgar Allan. "The Pit and the Pendulum." Literature.org - The Online Literature Library. Web. 24 Nov. 2010. .