Pervading Moods Of Fear And Horror
(EDGAR ALLAN POE’S SHORT STORIES)
Abstract
In this study, three works are going to be handled in terms of the
issue of “fear and terror”. First one is “The tell-Tale Heart” and the second
one is “The Fall of the House of Usher” and the last one is “ The Cask of
Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe.
These three short stories of E. Allan Poe, are convenient for the
theme of “fear, terror and the issue of horror”. In each stories, the
significance of the issue of fear and it’s usage on these short stories can be
seen. Also, the creation of the fear and terror and how they take place in them
can be observed. Furthermore, in these studies my aim is to show how the
related-protagonist’s fear in each stories occur with the events they come
across.
Moreover, my intention is to show Poe’s terrifying quality that
pervading each stories and how these concepts; terror, horror and fear
awaken intense emotions in all of us. Thus, thanks to these studies, we can
able to understand the combination of these intense emotion’s representation
through the concept of terror.
Other terminology that is going to be handled in this study is the
concept of “moody atmosphere” and it’s usage upon these stories so that the
set of despair and death images can be understood well. As we all know,
Poe’s stories are full of gloomy atmospheres and images and also, in it, we
can come across with the feeling of pleasantness thus, the concept of
“sublime” takes place. My another intention in this study is to show these
images and their occurrence.
Lastly, through this study, we can able to understand the
psychological-mood of our protagonists in each story and the leading factors
that making them such a fearful characters. Detailed and textual information
about each story is going to be given in a full paper in terms of the
explanations and usages of the factors of the fear and horror and the
occurrence of terror at the end.
Key Words
Fear, Terror, Horror, The Concept of Sublime, Edgar Allan Poe’s Short
Stories […].
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Firstly, the aim of this research paper is depending on the studies of
Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories, among them; The Tell Tale Heart, The Cask
Of Amontillado, The Fall Of The Hause Of Usher are handled. Poe, is known
mostly for his short stories which are mainly handling the theme of fear,
horror and terror in general.
In his short stories, Poe talks about madness in general and it’s
illumunation upon his characters. He has his terrifying quality that shows one
to one correspondence with the plot overview of his short stories. Thus, these
pervading moods of fear, horror and terror and madness awaken intense
emotions over his readers. Through such themes, he is surrounding his
readers with symbols and images of death. His terrifying quality makes his
readers feel intense emotions and this combination of intense emotions
represented through fear, horror and terror.
In Poes’s short stories, excessive usages of symbols and images of
death can be observed throughout the setting of each story. (In “The Tell Tale
Heart”, “The Cask Of Amontillado” and “The Fall Of The Hause Of Usher”).
Moreover, gothic expressions and gothic setting are in its indian summer (on
the top) in Poe’s short stories.
The thematic point in Poe’s short stories is the extreme case of
gloom and its linear order, because, in all of the short stories there is a
common point which is gloomy atmosphere and it’s unpleasantless.
Additionally, last concept that takes its place in Poe’s short stories is
the feeling of sublime. It is a kind of duality that reader can not grasp easily
because this situation is the combinatin of two binary oppositions; on one
hand, there is pleasantness on the other hand, there is a feeling of terror,
horror and the fear itself. So, all of them create moody atmosphere, mainly in
“The Fall Of The House Of Usher”.
As a result, thanks to these concepts that mentioned above, here is
the first short story that going to be handled which is called The Tell Tale
Heart.
In this short story, there is first person narrator who is responsible
for the murdering event. He is the one who is the murderer. In this short story
narrator is talking about madness in general. Because, there is madman. He
has his disease, he is in pain of over-acuteness. He says:
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True!- nervous- very, very dreadfully nervous I
had been and am; but why will you say that I am
mad? The disease had sharpened my senses- not
destroyed not dulled them. Above all was the
sense of hearing acute. I heard all things in the
heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in
hell. How, then, am I mad? Hearken! And
observe how healthily how calmly I can tell you
the whole story […] ( Poe, 117-118).
Narrator is telling the story wery calmly. He confesses that he has no
problem with the old man even he says he loves him but, he has his problem
with old man’s vulture like eye. This is the reason why the narrator wants to
kill the old man. He is passionate about the execution of the crime. Old man’s
vulture like eyes is an evil eyes for the narrator. He says:
[…] I loved the old man. He had never wronged
me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I
had no desire. I think it was his eye! yes it was
this! One of his eyes resembled that of a vulture a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it
fell upon me, my blod run cold, and so by
degrees- very gradually I made up my mind to
take the life of the old man and thus rid myself of
the eye for ever […] ( Poe, 118).
The narrator is almost watching himself at the same time. He has his
plan to take the life of the old man. So, it shows the narrators being
determined for the crime. His style is so slowly and cautiously. Nearly, every
night narrator observes the old man but, the eight night is the last night of
him. Because, that night narrator smothers the old man. The narrator tells the
murdering event very calmly as if speaking with the readers. He says:
[…] The old man’s hour had come! With a loud
yell, I threw open the lantern and leaped into the
room. He shrieked once - once only. In an instant
I dragged him to the flor, and pulled the heavy
bed over him. I then smiled gaily, to find the
deed so far done. But, for many minutes, the
heart beat on with a muffled sound. This,
however, did not vex me; it would not be heard
through the wall. At length it ceased. The old
man was dead […] ( Poe, 119-120).
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Narrator’s intention and the combination of intense emotions
represented by the terror and he explains this fearful and horrifying terror in
tranquil manner. He says:
[…] I removed the bed and examined corpse.
Yes, he was Stone, stonedead. I placed my hand
upon the heart and held it there many minutes.
There was no pulsation. He was stone dead. His
eyes would trouble me no more […]. First of all I
dismembered the corpse. I cut off the head and
the arms and the legs […] (Poe, 120).
Towards the end of the story, what the narrator earlier made the victim feel
this fear, horror and terror, lived all these feelings by himself.
In the second short story which is called The Cask Of Amontillado,
there is a plot overview which is infact not about fear, horror and terror
completely but, in it, there are elements which has its initiation with fear and
horror.
The story takes place in carnival season, in a time of festivity but, it
ends with fear and horror. In the story, there are two old friends, one is called
Fortunato who is wine expert and the other one is Montresor.
Thematic point in this short story is that this story is depending on
the desire of Montresor towards Fortunato to tapple him down because
Fortunato insults Montresor once upon a time beforehand and here is the
desire of Montresor to take his revenge. So, this creates fear, horror and
terror. Furthermore, Montresor has his motto, he says “No one provokes me
with impunity” ( Poe, 187).
In the begining of the story, two friends encounter and they start
talking about wine then, Montresor invites Fortunato to see the cask of
Amontillado, he keeps it in the cellar under the palazzo (palace). Montresor
wants Fortunato to check whether it is real Amontillado or not and he
prepares his plan to kill him. This situation is a terror, horror for Fortunato.
While they are going towards cellar, there are many vaults under the palace.
As they proceed, the air goes wrong because of intoxication and nitre. So,
this is horrifying also, fearful scene. Another scene that contains fear, horror
and terror is that the name of the wine that they drink while keep on going to
find the Amontillado. It’s name is “Medoc” it’s another meaning is “De
Grave a French wine”. Then, Montersor traps Fortunato and chains him but,
Fortunato does not understand anything he thinks it is a mere joking then,
Montresor walls in Fortunato.
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Nevertheless, Fortunato does not understand the situation. He does
not understand Montresor’s desire to kill him. Then, at the end of the story,
the noise of Fortunato stops forever. He dies because of the suffocation, in
other words, he is killed intentionally by Montressor’s himself. This situation
is convenient for the thematic point of “Fear, Horror and Terror”.
Lastly, even the title shows it’s effects of fear, horror and terror.
Because; Cask symbolizes coffin; on the other hand, Amontillado symbolizes
Fortunato’s expert in wine. Thus, Fortunato’s excessive and dangerous love
for wine makes him meet his death. Fortunato thinks, he is going to find the
cask of amontillado but, he finds his death end.
The third and the last short story is The Fall Of The House Of Usher.
This short story can be totally convenient to be handled in terms of the issues
of Fear Horror and Terror. Because, the plot overviev is depending on the
dreary story. The elements, motives and the symbols can also be applicable to
core of the fear, horror and terror. Even in the exposition part, the story
shows it’s factors which are one to one correspondence with the thematic
points of fear issue. Moreover, the same situation is convenient for the
development and the resolution parts.
In the begining of the story, there is an identification and the
explanation of the house of usher. The narrator defines the house of usher in
a very horrific way. The gloom pervades the story from the begining, thats
why it creates moody atmosphere. He defines:
During the whole of a dull dark and soundless
day in the autumn of the year when the clouds
hung oppresively low in the heavens I had been
passing alone, on horseback through a singularly
dreary tract of country and at length found
myself as the shades of the evening drew on
within view of the melancholy House Of Usher
[…] (Poe, 171).
In the story, for the narrator pervading weird mood can be felt and
he sees this gloomy atmosphere, thus, he comes across with the feeling of
fear and terror. He says:
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[…] I know not how it was but, with the first
glimpse of the building, a sense of insufferable
gloom pervading my spirit. I say insufferable, for
the feeling was unrelieved by any of that half
pleasurable, because poetic, sentiment, with
which the mind usually recieves even the sternest
natural images of the desolate or terrible […]
( Poe, 171).
Moreover, the contribution of figures of speech in the story is a great
amount in that, it creates gothic atmosphere through the personification of
inanimated things. Thanks to these figures of speech, house of usher assumes
a human form. So, it creates fear, horror and terror.
[…] I looked upon the scene before me upon the
mere house, and the simple landscape features of
the domain upon the bleak walls upon the vacant
eye-like windows upon a few rank sedges and
upon a few white trunks of decayed trees with an
utter depression of soul […] ( Poe, 171).
It can be clearly understood that whole story is about the emotions
of fear, terror and horror. Furthermore, another concept which is taking it’s
place constantly is the concept of sublime. It is the expression of awe and
fear; also, in it, there is a little bit pleasantness so, the concept of sublime
occurs through this binary oppositions. In the feeling of sublime, there is a
duality, it is the duality between imagination and reality. It is quite beyond
reason and characters, mainly the protoganists, Roderick Usher and his sister
Madeline Usher and the Narrator are taken in imagination so, thats why they
experience madness.
Another issue that the narrator expressing the feeling of sublime is
that the expressions of the events and how it occurs throughout the events in
the story. It can be clearly observed that there are the opposite feelings
(good&bad) that mingling with each other. The narrator defines:
[…] The impetuous fury of the entering gust
nearly lifted us from our feet. It was indeed, a
tempestous yet sternly beautiful night, and one
wildly singular in its terror and its beauty […]
(Poe, 181).
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In the story, the source of the terror and the horror issue is
originating from the protagonist, Rodersick Usher’s illness. He is suffering
from an acuteness and the narrator explains Roderick’s malady which is
coming from his ancestors. This is ancestral curse. He defines:
[…] He entered at some length, into what he
conceived to be the nature of his malady. It was
he said, a constitutional and a family evil, and
one for which he despaired to find a remedy a
mere nervous affectation, he immediately added,
which would undoubtedly soon pass off […] He
suffered much from a morbid acuteness of the
senses […] (Poe, 174-175).
As it is clear in the content of this short stroy, there is full of
intensity of impressions. So, this circumstances defines the theme of the
story. There are more than one theme in this short story, these are; destroying
of reason, captivation of imagination and madness.
By the way, towards the end of the story, his sister Madeline Usher
is also ill and he tells how Roderick Usher and the narrator’s himself
entombed his sister, Madeline, alive; then, Madeline resuscitated and this
causes the fall of ushers and the narrator flees. So, another theme of the story
occurs, this is the guilt of Roderick Usher. He is suffering from guilt complex
thats why he becomes mad. As a result, this situation creates fear, horror and
terror. Roderick Usher points out that:
[…] “Not hear it?- yes, I hear it, and have heard
it. Long long long many minutes, many hours,
many days, have I heard it- yet I dared not speak!
We have put her living in the tomb! Said I not
that my senses were acute? I now tell you that I
heard her first feeble movements in the hollow
coffin. I heard them many, many days ago- yet I
dared not- I dared not speak! […] ( Poe, 183184).
The narrator expresses his feelings after the burial of Roderick
Usher’s sister Madeline Usher. Then, it can be clearly observed in the story,
how his fear, terror and horror take place. Because, the atmosphere is so
convenient for such feelings.
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Then, climax of this short story is the occurence of entombed
Madeline Usher towards the end. As a result, in this situation, fear, horor and
terror are at the top for both Roderick Usher and for the narrator. In addition
to the description of Madeline Usher, the narrator observes Roderick Usher
and his aghast, he says:
[…] There did stand the lofty and enshrouded
figure of the lady Madeline of Usher. There was
blood upon her white robes, and the evidence of
some bitter struggle upon every portion of her
emaciated frame. For a moment she remained
trembling and reeling to and fro upon the
threshold then with a low moaning cry fell
heavily inward upon the person of her brother
and in her horrible and final death-agonies bore
him to the flor a corpse and a victim to the terrors
he had dreaded […] (Poe, 184).
For his own situation, at the end of this short story, the narrator points out his
terror and horror with the feeling of fear. He says:
[…] From that chamber, and from that mansion, I
fled aghast. The strom was still abroad in all its
wrath as I found myself crossing the old
causeway. Suddenly there shot along the path a
wild light and I turned to see whence a gleam so
unusual could have issued for the vast house and
its shadows were alone behind me.[…] there was
a long tumultuous shouting sound like the voice
of a thousand waters and the deep and dank tarn
at my feet closed sullenly and silently over the
fragments of the “House of Usher” (Poe, 184).
As a result, these three short stories of E. Allan Poe, can be
convenient for the theme of “fear, terror and the issue of horror”. In each
stories, the significance of the issue of fear and it’s usage on these short
stories can be observed and also the creation of the horror and terror and how
they take place in each of them can clearly be seen.
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Notes
1) Book: Poe A Edgar,The Collected Works Of Edgar Allan Poe: The cask Of
Amontillado,Wordsworth Library Collection, Wordsworth Editions (eds),
Hertfordshire, 2009, p. 187.
2) Book: Poe A Edgar,The Collected Works Of Edgar Allan Poe: The Fall of
the House of Usher,Wordsworth Library Collection, Wordsworth Editions
(eds), Hertfordshire, 2009, p.171,181,174-175,183-184.
3) Book: Poe A Edgar,The Collected Works Of Edgar Allan Poe: The Telltale Heart,Wordsworth Library Collection, Wordsworth Editions (eds),
Hertfordshire, 2009, p.117-118,119-120.
Bibliography
Poe, A. Edgar, The Collected Works Of Edgar Allan Poe: The Cask Of
Amontillado. Wordsworth Library Collection, Wordsworth Editions (eds)
Limited 8B East Street, Ware, Hertfordshire, 2009, pp. 187.
Poe, A. Edgar, The Collected Works Of Edgar Allan Poe: The Fall of the
House of Usher. Wordsworth Library Collection, Wordsworth Editions (eds)
Limited 8B East Street, Ware, Hertfordshire, 2009, pp. 171-184.
Poe, A. Edgar, The Collected Works Of Edgar Allan Poe, The Tell-tale
Heart. Wordsworth Library Collection, Wordsworth Editions (eds) Limited
8B East Street, Ware, Hertfordshire, 2009, pp. 117-120.
CELIK EKMEKCI
PAMUKKALE UNIVERSITY
M.A STUDENT IN THE DEPARTMENT OF
ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
DENIZLI/ TURKEY
4TH GLOBAL CONFERENCE OF FEAR HORROR AND TERROR.
ORIEL COLLEGE, OXFORDSHIRE, OXFORD-LONDON / ENGLAND
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