The Masque Of The Red Death Critical Analysis

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Matthews states that a short-story is a story which focuses on one single thing, instead of elaborate many of them (398). It creates a “unity of impression” meaning that all elements of the story are combined together to leave a single feeling or effect on a reader (Matthews 398). The author stresses that the singularity (i.e. one place, one event, one character) in a short story is the main key that leads the reader to develop this unified impression (398). To begin with, in the short-story “The masque of the Red Death”, unified feeling is created by one place in which all events occur. One single place in the story is a prince’s castle in which he and all rich citizens of the abbey try to escape the Red Death. To leave a certain effect …show more content…

To be more specific, it is rather images of the nature that she sees through her window in the room, than the room itself. For example, when the main character is in her room and looks at the open window, she observes “patches of blue sky showing here and there” (Chopin 1). These patches of sky that appears here and there represent the enlightenment, the realization in the thoughts that occurs in the personage’s mind. She eventually starts to realize how she felt herself before her husband’s death and how free she feels herself now, after she got to know he is dead. Another example is when she sees “the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life” (Chopin 1). This image represent new life, new opportunities, freedom and independence. The author describes the trees as they rebirth after long and cold winter time. She compares the character’s life after her husband’s death as a new spring life and new realization. However, because it is observed from inside of the room, it creates an image of desired freedom, the freedom she wants but cannot have. Thus, Chopin creates a unified feeling of desire of freedom through image of nature from the inside of the

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