Author's Note: This piece was written as an assignment to analyze the theme in Edgar Allen Poe's story The Masque of the Red Death. I found that the theme in this story was running from death, though Poe makes it clear that cheating death is impossible. As a forewarning to all readers this is NOT my best work and still may need some revising done to it.
Death- it's sad, it's scary, it's surprising. It already has your fate picked out. It knows when it will take you, and where, and how. It knows why you will leave the earth. And it knows the where you'll wind up after you do. Death knows no mercy. Death knows no fear. It's right behind you. Watching you. Following you. Chasing you. You can’t run, it’ll catch you. You can't hide, it'll find you. But if you're not careful, it'll take you.
Prince Prospero in Edgar Allan Poe's story "The Masque of the Red Death," was clearly too naive to realize this. He thought he could avoid it. Prevent it from happening. He thought that holding a party would keep him, and the rest of the attendees, safe and alive. When locking the doors of the castle, his motives weren't to keep the people locked IN, but more to have death locked OUT.
But you can't keep it out-- no one can. You can’t take away its power or make it so it doesn't happen. Death will find you, catch you, take you. Death is there, whether you see it or not. It's right behind you. Every day stepping closer and closer. A little more. Growing bigger as you get smaller. Smaller. Smaller. Until suddenly, you’re gone.
