Critical Review of The Pit and The Pendulum by Edgar Allan Poe

Introduction

The Pit and the Pendulum is a short story about terror written by the famous American writer Edgar Allan Poe. Poe was born on January 19, 1809, in Boston, Massachusetts. When he was a child, his parents died, and Poe was taken into the custody of John Allan. After a couple of years, Poe decided to attend the University of Virginia, where he later dropped out due to financial issues and went back home to find out that his love named Sara was engaged to someone else. Poe suffered many issues emotionally and physically, which people believe inspired his stories and poems. The Pit and The Pendulum story is set around the time of the Spanish Inquisition (1487), when Spain was fighting amongst themselves because half of the population was Christian and the other half were Jews, igniting what would become the Spanish Inquisition. At the time, the church had a powerful hold on society, and this era bore one of the most brutal punishments in history to those who opposed the church. The Spanish Inquisition presented many painful instruments of punishment that could happen to anyone if they did not follow the law or adhere to traditional practices. Even the innocent were punished. The monks were the ones punishing people in the name of God, even executing people, an idea that would be heavily frowned upon in today’s society. The era of the Spanish Inquisition plays an essential role in The Pit and the Pendulum, making the story much more horrific.

A Report on The Book The Pit and The Pendulum

The Narrative and Its Impact

The Pit and the Pendulum is a first-person story of an unknown narrator who is feeling sick with agony, being drugged and losing his senses throughout the trial where he was judged by several judges with their faces covered. He mentions that these people are inquisitors, which gives us a clue that this is the Spanish Inquisition known for their painful punishment. The unnamed narrator starts to lose his vision and finds himself in a cell where it is extremely dark, believing he is buried alive in a tomb. He starts walking around the cell, unable to see, but at the same time, he is counting his steps to determine how big the cell is. After several steps, he almost falls into a pit and goes back to his cell to sleep. He wakes up to see his room illuminated and notices that he has been tied down and can only use his left hand. After a couple of minutes, he notices that on the ceiling there is a picture of the Father of Time and a pendulum slowly descending towards him. The unnamed narrator manages to escape, then suddenly the walls push the protagonist into the pit, but he is suddenly rescued by the general of the French army. The Pit and the Pendulum is a story told in the first person, providing extreme details and incorporating aspects of symbolism and themes.

Symbolism and Themes

The first-person narrative gives the reader a unique point of view by describing every single detail, making the audience feel as though they are in the story experiencing the horror themselves. The story offers readers the experience of reading a story where the narrator is also the protagonist. Throughout the story, the narrator is specific and descriptive, recounting his frightening experience, which captures the audience's attention and piques their curiosity. The story is in the first person and also shows the emotions of the unnamed narrator in the situations he experiences. For example, “The blackness of eternal night encompassed me. I struggled for breath. The intensity of the darkness seemed to oppress and stifle me. The atmosphere was intolerably close.” The narrator describes his cell, how dark it is, and how he feels being there. Poe does an excellent job with this piece of literature by making the reader feel as though they are spectating the protagonist.

Symbolism in The Pit and the Pendulum

There are numerous symbols in the story, each with its own meaning. The cell symbolizes the entrapment of humankind in a world full of inescapable threats. The pit symbolizes the struggle and suffering of the narrator, calling it hell, while the pendulum represents time. For example, the pit symbolizes hell “Not only because it threatens destruction, but also because its true nature and what might happen once one falls into it is unknowable.” Another interpretation of the pit is that if the narrator were to fall into it, it would mean he was sinning and would eventually reach hell, suggesting that the inquisitors tried to create their own version of hell. Poe used biblical imagery throughout the story. Towards the end of the story, the final piece of symbolism is found in the pendulum. It resembles time, and during the story, the narrator wakes up held by a wooden board with a long strap wrapped around his body. He looks up to see an image of the Father of Time that was recently painted, and a pendulum that is razor-sharp, constructed to kill the narrator. “In this context, Father Time brings to mind his ghoulish doppelgänger, the Grim Reaper, who wields his scythe to harvest human life.” Poe creates another method of torture by letting the victim know that his time is running out, driving him to madness.

Themes in The Pit and the Pendulum

There are several themes found in The Pit and the Pendulum, but one that plays a significant role is the fear of death. Poe is considered a master of terror, bringing horror and suspense to his works, as seen in The Pit and the Pendulum. During the story, the audience can identify the main theme, which is the protagonist's fear of death, capturing the audience's attention. Throughout the story, the unnamed narrator experiences the fear of losing his life during his punishment by the inquisitors. For example, “Down – steadily down it crept. I took a frenzied pleasure in contrasting its downward with its lateral velocity. To the right – to the left – far and wide – with the shriek of a damned spirit; to my heart with the stealthy pace of the tiger! I alternately laughed and howled as the one or the other idea grew predominant.” At the end of the story, the narrator almost loses his life to the pendulum slowly descending, causing him to panic and descend into madness.

Conclusion

In The Pit and the Pendulum, readers encounter a protagonist who serves as the narrator, providing an extremely descriptive account throughout the story. There are numerous symbols related to the church and themes related to the protagonist's fear of death, enriching the narrative.

References

1. Poe, E. A. (1842). The Pit and the Pendulum. In The Gift: A Christmas and New Year's Present. Carey & Hart.
2. Silverman, K. (1991). Edgar A. Poe: Mournful and Never-ending Remembrance. Harper Perennial.
3. Quinn, A. H. (1941). Edgar Allan Poe: A Critical Biography. Johns Hopkins University Press.
4. Thompson, G. R. (1973). Poe's Fiction: Romantic Irony in the Gothic Tales. University of Wisconsin Press.