"The Premature Burial" at its root is about paranoia but the condition described within the story is real and has been documented. Catalepsy occured in many people in the 19th century and it paranoid many people living in America at the time. It was common in the 19th century to see graves with bells attached to them just in case the coffin's tenant awoke. The Narrator in the story shared this paranoia and constructs an elaborate grave to make sure he doesn't share the same fate as those who were prematurely buried. The story ends with the narrator realizing that he's been pretty crazy and shouldn't obsess about death so much. This ending leads me to believe that Poe wrote this story to calm the masses.
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Lessons Learned
"The Monkies Paw" is an awesome example of being careful what you wish for. You could wake the dead if you're not careful. Or not. The story implies that the son has risen from the dead and has come back to pound on the door but no body is ever found. The story has heavily implied supernatural occurences but all of these occurences can be viewed as mere coincidences. The events could simply coincide with the wishing being done on the monkies paw. The Mother is obviously mad with grief at the loss of her son and this can explain her reactions to everything that happens in the story. However this isn't the point of the overall story. The message of "The Monkey's Paw" is clear, be careful what you wish for.
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I think the soldier tried to make that clear when the father took the paw in the first place, but like most of society, greed takes over and controls the mind, the endless possibilities of what one could wish for and have at their control can drive one crazy. I think it was all a big ghost story made to scare the kids, I know it would have scared the dickens out of me as a child :)
ReplyDeleteI thought it was ironic that Poe actually wrote a story that would in the end add hope and serenity for the readers when he usually likes to pry on what is feared most but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I wonder what the people of that era took this story as after they read it.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Poe ends his story on a lighter note than what he usually does so that's why this story is still scary but not as scary because Poe plays on what the human fears most, but adds hope at the end of it which sort of calms the anxieties of his reader. Also, in "The Monkey's Paw" it is very implied that the son was knocking at the door and we'll never know if he truly was. So the paw could be a coincidental thing , but I believe it was truly a magical thing in the story.
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