The Pit and the Pendulum vs. Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment: Not Quite so Different Essay Sample

The Pit and the Pendulum vs. Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment: Not Quite So Different Poe’s “The Pit and the Pendulum” is about a adult male that is put through anguish and Hawthorne’s “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment” is about a physician who gives four aged people a gustatory sensation of H2O from the Fountain of Youth. “The Pit and the Pendulum” and “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment” are decidedly different every bit far as content goes but when examined a little more closely clear similarities can be found. Subtle literary devices and subjects tie these two apparently dissimilar narratives and writers together. Both Poe and Hawthorne focused on the usage of elaborate descriptions of scenery to make a temper for their narratives. In fact. in both narratives about half of what is written is a description of the scene. Poe uses the keep in “The Pit and the Pendulum” to make a sense of day of reckoning and desperation that plays a portion throughout his narrative. Near the beginning of the narrative he writes. “The inkiness of ageless dark encompassed me. ” ( 2 ) . This sets the temper right off.

He besides entreaties to the reader’s senses and describes the feel and odors of the keep with phrases like”…my brow seemed bathed in a dank vapor. and the peculiar odor of rotten fungus arose to my anterior nariss. ” ( 4 ) . Poe farther engages the reader’s senses subsequently in the narrative. “A smothering olfactory property pervaded the prison! …A richer shade of ruby diffused itself over the envisioned horrors of blood. ” ( 9 ) . By appealing to the senses Poe forces the reader to visualize themselves in his narrative. Similarly Hawthorne describes the scene in “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment” early in the narrative. There is a sense of aged wisdom and mysticism throughout the narrative. particularly when the four aged imbibe the H2O from the fountain of young person for the experiment. and Hawthorne uses the scene to heighten the temper. “It was a dim. antique chamber. festooned with cobwebs. and besprinkled with antique dust. ” ( 1 ) writes Hawthorne. The reader gets a sense of age and a small spot of spookiness and expectancy of what’s to come when he reads this. Unlike Poe. Hawthorne chooses to put the scene in the beginning and doesn’t reference much about Dr. Heidegger’s survey for the remainder of the narrative. Another similarity between these two writers is their romantic authorship manner. Each has parts of his narrative that are tinged with the paranormal.

For Poe. three illustrations stood out. First he describes a set of tapers in the beginning of the narrative as if they were alive. Second. Poe describes the skeletons of past victims of the cavity and the cavity itself as if they are devils coming to life. “Demon eyes. of a wild and ghastly vivacity. glared upon me in a 1000 waies where none had been seeable before…” ( 9 ) . Finally the stoping of “The Pit and the Pendulum” itself is difficult to believe. The thought that the chief character is saved from decease with ostentation seconds before his death is difficult to believe but realistic at the same clip. Hawthorne has more elements of romanticism in “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment” than Poe has in “The Pit and the Pendulum. ” There are five chief illustrations of love affair in Hawthorne’s narrative. They are a purportedly charming mirror. flop of Hippocrates. skeleton. portrayal of Dr. Heidegger’s deceased fiancee. and a black book. Sing the book Hawthorne writes that “…once. when a fille de chambre had lifted it…the skeleton had rattled in its cupboard. the image of the immature lady had stepped one pes upon the floor. and several ghastly faces had peeped Forth from the mirror ; while the audacious caput of Hippocrates frowned. and said. -‘Forbear! ” Clearly these claims are meant to be seen as a type of folklore instead than true fact.

Additionally Hawthorne’s full premiss for “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment” is dripping with romanticism. The mere thought that a Fountain of Youth exists is a stretch but at the same clip he leaves the reader inquiring if possibly there truly is one. Finally both authors’ narratives are prevailing with symbolism. specifically covering with the inevitableness of clip and age. In “The Pit and the Pendulum” the abysm in the centre of the keep and the vacillation. bladed pendulum represent clip. The blade gets closer and closer to the incapacitated victim and even when he is successful in get awaying the pendulum. there is another anguish in shop. The anguish – time- is “most grim. ” ( 9 ) He can non avoid his impending decease. Likewise the four aged people in Hawthorne’s narrative symbolize clip and age but attempt to get away the inevitable by imbibing H2O from the Fountain of Youth. At first they are elated that the H2O works but the effects fade and “the craze which it created had effervesced off. ” ( 10 ) . Not even charming H2O could halt clip. Edgar Allen Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne are romantic authors and coevalss of each other ; therefore they have similar authorship manners and techniques. Symbolism and romanticism is rife in both narratives and each writer addressed clip in his authorship. Though there are differences in these two writers and their narratives there are besides noteworthy similarities as good.