Edgar+Allan+Poe

The Pit and the Pendulum By, Edgar Allan Poe


 * Summary:**

This short story is about a man that is captured during the Spanish Inquisition. He is sentenced to the death penalty and loses consciousness due to the sentence, death. When he wakes up he is in a dark chamber lined by stone walls. He at first, thinks that this place is a tomb, but to his surprise it is actually a holding cell in Toledo. Toledo was a notorious holding cell for the Spanish during the Inquisition. He realizes that he is not in a tomb when he decides to walk around his surrounding area. After walking around the room he comes back to where he thinks is his original spot and falls back to sleep. He wakes up to a loaf of bread and water. He consumes both and continues exploring the area. While walking he trips on his pants and falls face first onto the floor. He notices that when he falls there is nothing in front of him. He believes it to be a pit. To test his theory he throws a stone into the pit. When the stone lands he hears the sound of water. He comes to realize that the pit is quite deep. Previous information leads him to believe that this is a form of death that the Inquisition has used before on previous prisoners. He proceeds to return to his original awaking place and falls back to sleep. He wakes up again to more bread and a pitcher of water. He immediately falls asleep after drinking the water and eating the bread. He guesses that either the bread or the water was drugged. When he awakes this time he is tied down to table of some kind with a giant pendulum swinging slowly back and forth above him. He realizes that the pendulum is swinging toward his heart. He watches as the pendulum swings back and forth, getting closer and closer to his heart. With ten or twelve vibrations left until the pendulum reached his heart he had a brilliant idea. He took some of the meat that was given to him and he rubbed it onto the strap that bound him. The rats then swarmed onto him and chewed through the strap. Just as about the pendulum was about to cut right through him he rolled off of the table and onto the floor. As soon as he rolled off the table the pendulum retracted back into the roof. This leads him to believe that the Inquisition was watching him the whole time. He looks around and notices that the walls have turned a red color and began to close in on him. The walls form a v shape and begin to force him to move closer and closer to the pit in the middle of the room. Just as he is about to fall into the pit an arm reaches out and catches him just as he is about to fall. He turns around and sees that the arm belongs to General Lasalle of the French Army. It turns out that the French Army had just captured the cells of Toledo and captured the Inquisition.


 * Excerpt:

1.) In this short story Poe mentions the Inquisition in many instances. This shows that the time period is set in the 1500's. The Inquisition refers to the Spanish Inquisition. The Spanish Inquisiton refers to a group and time period where non Catholics where persecuted and often tourtured by the church. **

2.) The devices that Poe mentions in his writing, the pit and the pendulum, were non existent in the real Spanish Inquisition. This displays the style of Poes writing, dreery and painful for the characters. These tourturing devices that Poe invents are horrible and potentially gruesome. This just magnifies Poe's knack for the horrible and terrifing in his writing style.

3.) The information pertaining to the Inquisition is mostly accurate and shows that Poe has a urning for accuracy.


 * Reflection:**

I greatly enjoyed reading this short story by Edgar Allan Poe. It was exciting and filled with suspense. I felt that I could feel what the character felt, it was masterfully written and filled with description. I would definatly reccomend this short story. I thought that the plot was direct and well formed and I though that the suspense made the story complete. I was truely happy that I read the Pit and the Pendulum.