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The Importance Of Space In Edgar Allen Poe's Short Stories

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The theme of the enclosed space is one that is central in Poe’s stories as it is continually significant throughout his work. The enclosed space is something to be feared in Poe’s stories, as generally it is viewed with negative connotations. It appears for example, in the form of a coffin in “The Premature Burial,” a tomb in “The Cask of Amontillado,” and a mansion in “The Fall of The House of Usher,” to name just some of the many instances it is presented. The idea of the enclosed space can also be seen between the proximity of characters. The entrapment of the narrator with his doppelganger in “William Wilson” could also be viewed as an enclosed space, the intense intimacy driving the narrator to insanity. The enclosed space is also prevalent in the mind of the narrator, as their surroundings reflect and represent their mentality, and put the forward the idea of the narrator’s mind as the enclosed space. Walter Shear explains in his article “Poe 's Fiction: The Hypnotic Magic of the Senses,” how the world of the narrators’ in Poe’s short stories are “not merely closed but enclosing”(283), thus making the theme of the enclosed space one that is immediately visible in …show more content…

The protagonist of the story Etherald, slays the dragon and escapes with his life (213), but ironically Roderick’s freedom only comes soon after with his own death (“The Fall of the House of Usher” 216). Etherald’s fight for freedom serves to further show how trapped Roderick really is, as his greatest feat is overcome in comparison to Roderick who continually revels in despair. His imprisonment is put beside Etherald’s, and as Etherlad succeeds from his greatest battle, Roderick cannot even think to dabble with his. Roderick’s freedom comes with his magnificent death as he is freed from the shackles of his mind, house and his ties to

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