‘The Pit and The Pendulum’ by Edgar Allan Poe and ‘An Encounter’ by James Joyce Essay

An analytical study of The fossa and The Pendulum, An line up and The Pedestrian, foc utilize on the themes of paralysis, entrapment and isolationThe schoolbooks chosen for this study are The Pit and The Pendulum by Edgar Allan Poe and An Encounter by crowd Joyce which, I feel, are appropriate as they provide countywide coverage of the themes analysed whilst musical compositionaging to cover a historical period of some seventy years1. Poes piece is a dark, Gothic blend which deals, in great depth, with the flavour of both mental and physical paralysis encompassed in an entrapping and isolated atmosphere. Joyce, on the other hand, takes a characteristically more diverse and subtle approach to the creation of paralysis, cunningly concealing the theme within the stagnant skirts of his capital of Ireland. Verbal entrapment is furthermore offered in the form of a dubious elderly man.The story An Encounter by James Joyce amply exhibits many stylistic features associated with the m odernist author for example the use of epiphany or writing by dint of first person narrative, with inner soliloquy to highlight the consciousness of the supporter and also subtly divulge the feelings of others to the perhaps more aware readership. However, Poe, on the contrary, chooses to play the cards of shock and terror in a style which is far more intelligible and gruesome in comparison with Joyces incorporation of ambiguity.The theme of paralysis is key to Joyces work the impulse is implicit through let out Dubliners as a whole. With this idea comes its antithesis escape or with respect to An Encounter and many of the other stories, thwarted escape. It is because of the characters desire to achieve this freedom, that when the day fails to reach its high expectations, the stagnation and restrictiveness of the surroundings are powerfully reinforced perhaps even confirmed. From the outset of the tale, Joyce ponders the notion of escape. Characters searching for such an es cape, frequently describe how they would wish to travel afar to achieve it. So great, it seems, is this idea that the sensation of the initial story of Dubliners, can be quoted of aspiring to exotic, foreign fantasyI felt that I had been very far away, in some land where the customs were st outrank in Persia, I thought.This feeling is openly exhibited in An Encounter, as Joyces first person narrator demesnesReal adventures, I reflected, do not happen to sight who remain at home they must be sought abroad.In the story, Joyce develops the theme in the form of an inner soliloquy the thoughts of the protagonist dictating how his Wild watt adventures opened doors of escape. The method used is quite customary of the author- the thought processes of the boy (relating to escape) are in the end what drive the tale, yet Joyce quietly conveys them through subtle, nondescript details. Joyces relationship with his hometown appears, like his works, slightly ambiguous. He may often be qu oted of his distaste for the stagnant city2, succeeding in displaying it with an absence of enthusiasm, as a moribund, non-eventful hive. However, nonpareil feels that on reflection, after reading his work a subtle affection is undoubtedly apparent perhaps Joyces time spent in exile3 incubated an innate longing for the city Dublins entrapment being, perhaps, what fuelled this fascination with the petty happening of the city?Joyces relationship with the theme of entrapment in Dubliners is essential to the text at times he appears intent, at others repelled. An Encounter deals with methods of escape other than exotic foreign adventure, focusing on the attempt of two boys to break out of the weariness of their everyday environment. Although, at first the prospect of adventure excites the young boys, there is constant undertone of anti-climax carefully intertwined into the story. Joyce writes from the first person point view, often through analepsis. It is perhaps because of this tha t a frequent air of frustration pursues the young schoolboys it is as if the story is being recalled by a man embittered by the restraining and ultimately paralysed city of Dublin. Quite often Joyce refuses to commit any fervent emotion to events, preferring to use lacklustre qualifying adverbs or adjectives We were all vaguely excited it was a mild sunny morningJoyce intently chooses to focus in on the about insipid details, usually choosing to focus on empirical sense fuck off such as Mahoneys grey suit or the brown4 fishing fleet- which works to suppress the buoyant atmosphere. This notion is also relative to the descriptive mood, which the author quite purposely generates through negative evocation of certain aspects The docile horses the drivers of groaning carts.This process of qualification through modifiers generates a subdued atmosphere replicate to that of the jaded inner-consciousness of the protagonists. The negativity which is now apparent in almost everything t ake careed appears to be an entrapping agent over the boys, who sulk into a resigned and somewhat resentful state, a state which is furthermore reiterated by the repeat of the adverb too It was too late and we were too tired to carry out our project of visiting the Pigeon House.Joyce has succeeded in presenting Dublin as an impotent city of circularity and entrapment. He is now anxious to erase the protagonists claim I was very happy, from the audiences memories, introducing words such as solemn, sedulous and eventually even denotes the characters thoughts as jaded. There is constant, yet suitable repetition of the adjective tired the day has become tedious, adventure and escape have proved elusive, and the encounter of a less than legendary sea-farer has confirmed that the protagonist go out not find merriment in Dublin, forever doomed to live in the fantasies of comic book and literature.However, despite its lack of event, the day does provide the boys with one notable incident . Aspirations of escape having been superseded, Joyce begins a new paragraph focusing primarily on the silence and fluidness of the eventual situation There was nobody besides ourselves in the field. We had lain on the bank for some time without speaking.Through creating such an ominous, yet dying atmosphere sentences slowly becoming shorter, more summary (defeating imaginative possibility as displayed by the boys hitherto) and less picturesque use of vocabulary Joyce signals the need for new themes to be introduced. He achieves this through the introduction of a curious elderly antagonist.The old man introduces the possibility of in-depth monologue and organise lecturing. In the conversation with the boys, he seemingly manages to entrap the young protagonist with his file name ex tautness to literature a topic of known interest to the boy and also through cunningly incorporating a sinister circular approach. Joyce is very keen to work on the idea of circularity in his wo rk and in this piece, the monotonous voice of the antagonist and the way his voice slowly circles round and round in the akin orbit, help to achieve the spellbinding quality of the man. This technique paralyses the narrator, who seemingly allows the man to give a discourse in the form of a monologue mainly due to his apparent inability to interrupt.The politeness evident in the boys character is in hindsight, far from being useful. Joyce implicitly affectedness his personal views on the expensive Jesuit schooling that the protagonist has been subject to by placing the boy in a situation of danger. The resultant irony learnt social skills being a hindrance also helps highlight Joyces disregard for the church and its establishments.The worrying feature of the mans discourse is the implicitly adverse way in which he speaks. He frequently refers to the whipping of young boys, with one feels, over-excitable ardour. Joyce establishes the mans odd approach through primarily using su ch adjectives as magnetised and circle in reference to his thought process. This creates the impression that he is intent on the subject. Secondly, a section of reported speech is introducedWhen a boy was rough and unruly there was nothing would do him any good but a good sound whipping what he wanted was to get a nice warm whipping.Joyce emphasises the mans positive outlook on the subject through the use of a positive lexical range there is repetition of the word good firstly as a noun, secondly as an adjective and also use of the adjective nice, which appears somewhat misplaced when used in conjunction with the concept of whipping.The protagonists isolation from sympathetic intellectuals due to young age means he is fast(a) to warm to the old man when he talks of literature. In the epiphany, he even appears isolated from his closest friend, Mahoney, and it appears to me that the epiphany of the piece (from the young boys perspective) confirms that the honest-to-god man has had a profound influence on his views both intellectually and sexually. It appears that after entrapment, the isolation of the nave child has left him susceptible to corruption and the encounter has left the boy and the audience with the idea (with undoubted authorial intent) that the world is not such an innocent place.Such mental metamorphosis is more openly explicit in Edgar Allen Poes work, no epiphanies are evident, yet a first person narrative works to convey the progressively tortured thoughts of the protagonist to the reader. The Pit and The Pendulum is a piece typical of the nineteenth century gothic horror genre. The main area of focus is that of psychological terror and mental torture of the protagonist, brought roughly through natural agents and physical entrapment and isolation. The style is typical of Poe, aesthetic as opposed to scientific and wholly grotesque.The piece is, in its simplest form, an account of the destruction of the protagonists psyche. Poe begins in medias res by describing the trial of the man, the narrator intently focusing upon his gloomy and confused mental state. Syntax used is intricate and verbose, helpfully describing the characters inner consciousness and displaying his tangled, entrapping thought processes. The lexical field and imagery employed is especially exotic and indulgent Poe uses metaphorical language peppered with adverbs and adjectives as the candles before the man demasculinize from white slender angels to meaningless spectres, with heads of flame. Another technique which is commonly employed by Poe is that of repetition, in this particular story, Poe often relies on the syntactical position of verbs to gradually heighten tension, and prompt his audience. A good example of repetition may be found when the protagonist is awaiting his doom at the custody of the pendulum each new paragraph commences with the preposition downDown steadily down it crept Down certainly relentlessly down.. Down still inc reasingly still inevitably downThis repetition works to give extra strength to the nemesis and increase the tense, anxious and bleak atmosphere. The notion of down is the most important in the authors mind, and the layout of the word on the page vividly reflects the terrifying motion of the blades descent and, more importantly, the ever more dejected mental state of the protagonist.A technique used by Poe and also exhibited by Joyce- is that of prolepsis. The fact that the protagonist is often left thinking of what may be suggests a certain spirit level of isolation the surrounding atmosphere offering no apparent subjects for the character to focus on in the present. In The Pit and the Pendulum, Poe incorporates a feeling of invariable unease into the thought processes of his protagonist. There are frequent examples of this which often come about directly before the ghastly prospects of the character are realised as in the heightened, almost hysterical language and excited synt ax ofThe result of the slightest struggle, how deadly Was it likely, moreover, that the minions of the torturer had not foreseen and provided for this probability?It is characteristic of Poe to use hyperbole, a technique which creates a melancholy, theatrical feeling often seemingly increasing the grandeur. Hyperbole also escalates the terror and entrapment suffered by the protagonist, the indulgent language used portrays a somewhat exaggerate experience to the audience. This technique is supported by extensive use of adjective and adverb, commonly negative in effect, as when the protagonist is close to death by the pendulumThe odour of the sharp steel forced itself into my nostrils. I prayed I wearied heaven with my prayer for its more speedy descent. I grew frantically mad, and struggled to force myself upward against the sweep of the fearful scimitar. And then I fell suddenly calm, and lay smiling at the glittering deathPsychological entrapment in the story is offered in the form of The Pit. To accomplish the desired atmosphere for such a tortured fate, Poe begins to describe the physical surroundings of the protagonist in some detail. The ulterior world of darkness to which the man is instantly subject to is stereotypically associated with Poes genre of writing, the gloom becoming a perfect vehicle to carry an unnerving, mystifying atmosphere. boost concern for the antagonist is drawn from the constant reference to his fatigued state and also the dangerously moist and slippery characteristics of the chamber. The tension generated relies heavily on Poes use of syntax the protagonist encounters The Pit through a sequence of brief sentencesI proceeded for many paces but still all was blackness and vacancy. I breathed more freely.The length of the sentences and the fact that Poe does not feel it necessary to justify or convolute the thoughts of the protagonist who currently sees his punishment as not the most hideous of fates represents relatively cal m and clear thought processes. As the narrator becomes evermore aware of the horrific situation, Poe mirrors his mounting terror through increasingly complex syntaxThe difficulty, nevertheless, was but trivial although, in the disorder of my fancy, it seemed at first insuperable.Poes evidently excessive accentuation of punctuation, creating furthermore verbose sentences, achieves a double-quick movement of thought and a growing sensation of confusion. Eventually, as the protagonist gradually uncovers the secrets of his confinement, a greater fear of entrapment and danger being incubated inside him is realised. Poe displays this through every quickening pace in complex sentences which are supported with dashes giving the effect of total bemusement and terror in the protagonist, feelings which almost preface to the making of treacherous mistakes. Quite suddenly, with a simple sentence perceptibly out of step with the ever-increasing complexity of the syntax the climax of the char acters investigation is revealed I stepped on it, and fell violently on my face. With the inclusion of this short, astute sentence, Poe signals that complex syntax hitherto has given sufficient insight to the audience and that the tension has peaked.The fact that the piece is written in the form of a first person narrative always suggests in a similar style to James Joyces reflective, possibly older narrator that the protagonist is reminiscing about his exploits, and that ultimately the piece will not end in his death. This is, of course, the case when General Lasalle of the french army comes to the rescue. The ending is extremely interesting as Poe chooses, unlike the other events of the story, to dramatically reduce proceedings deciding to summarise the rescue in a short paragraph. The said paragraph uses more restrained syntax exclamation is succeeded by a simple statement which, in the context, appears almost bathetic.The fiery walls go back.. The French army had entered T oledo.It is not entirely clear why Poe has chosen to end the piece in an almost anticlimactic manner. Perhaps he chooses to condense the singular joyful occurrence of the narrative thus maintaining its stance as a work of horror. Many sources, however, maintain that the storys shutting was dictated by demanding time restrictions implemented by Poes publishers5. Another reason for Poe choosing a first person narrator is perhaps that this perspective gives us a stronger feeling of entrapment due to our constant awareness of the innermost feelings of the protagonist. The narrative does not, unlike a third person perspective, allow the audience to transcend the situation, providing direct access to the horror which is occurring on the page. There is also no direct speech in the story. This fact reinforces the idea of isolation in the way that the protagonist has no need to speak due to absolute solitude.The grotesque element of Poes work, which quite frequently works as a perversely ae sthetic or romantic catalyst for the mental entrapment of the protagonist, is usually evident in the form of a tormentor drawn from nature.6 In The Pit and The Pendulum, psychological torture is brought on by a swarm of rats. These animals bring negative connotation, as they are associated with such horror as The Plague. They are definitely an effective twirl which works to supplement the physical entrapment already being suffered by the protagonist at this time.At one point, Poe also uses fearful images of skeleton forms and such, which disfigure the surrounding walls. It is stated that these figures have been created by monks, suggesting that this environment is some kind of medieval building not designed specifically for torture. It is therefore interesting to observe how Poe manages to alter these innocent images into emotionally petrifying fiends working as the author will have wished, to terrify the protagonist and therefore, the readership. By introducing entrapment in th e form of the wooden modeling and hideous vermin, Poe has realised the importance of including both physical and metaphysical entrapment a work of the Gothic horror genre of which he is undeniably a master.1 The Pit and The Pendulum was first print in 1843 for a collection named The Gift, later (revised) for the Broadway Journal in 1985. An Encounter taken from Dubliners was written in 1904 yet published 1914.2 In a letter to his English publisher, Grant Richards, he claimed that his intention was to write a chapter of the moral history of my country and I chose Dublin for the scene because that city seemed to me the centre of paralysis. (Letters, II, 134).3 During the summer of 1904, Joyce and his new-found love Nora Barnacle left Ireland for Europe. At An Encounters time of writing, it is most likely that Joyce was aliveness in Pola Croatia.4 The use of the adverb brown is also evident to the same effect in the story Araby. Entrapment is projected through the brown imperturb able faces of the housing.5 SEE NOTE