”The Pit and the Pendulum” is set in Toledo, Spain , during the Spanish Inquisition. The Inquisition was the effort of the Vatican and the Portuguese and Spanish governments to eradicate non-Catholic faiths. In Spain, this took place from 1478 to 1834.
What happened in The Pit and the Pendulum?
Like many of Poe’s stories, “The Pit and the Pendulum” is a dramatic monologue. Sentenced to death by the Spanish Inquisition, the imprisoned narrator finds himself in absolute darkness, in danger of falling to his death into a pit in the centre of the cell .
What POV is The Pit and the Pendulum?
The vantage point from which a story is told is called point of view. “The Pit and the Pendulum” is written from a first-person point of view , in which the narrator uses such pronouns as I and me.
Why was The Pit and the Pendulum written?
Historical Unreliability in “The Pit and the Pendulum”: Although Poe wrote “The Pit and the Pendulum” in 1842, the story takes place during the height of the Spanish Inquisition, implemented during the 15th through the 17th century to destroy heresy in order to promote and maintain Catholic Orthodoxy throughout Spain ...
Is The Pit and the Pendulum historically accurate?
The Spanish Inquisition continued on and off until 1834—only eight years before the publication of “The Pit and the Pendulum.” Although “The Pit and the Pendulum” portrays a character being tortured by the Spanish Inquisition and then rescued by the French General LaSalle, that scenario is historically inaccurate .
How does the prisoner discover the pit?
The narrator of the story is in prison in Toledo, Spain. He is a victim of the Inquisition. He is in complete darkness. He attempts to discover the type of dungeon he is in by walking around the exterior of the room to find its perimeter .
What is the irony in The Pit and the Pendulum?
Situational irony is a situation that turns out as the opposite from what was expected . This short story shows situational irony every time the man survived each trap the executioners set including the pit,pendulum, and the fiery walls and is later miraculously saved by General LaSalle.
What does a pendulum suggest to you?
Expert Answers
The pendulum itself represents two things: the passage of time and death . Pendulums are used in clocks to determine and mark the passing of each second. As the pendulum swings back and forth, it is like a countdown.
What is the pit symbolic of?
The pit is a symbol of suffering and, even more clearly, of death . At one point he actually calls it a symbol of hell. ... This is not only because it threatens destruction, but also because its true nature and what might happen once one falls into it is unknowable.
What is the climax of the pit and pendulum?
The climax of “The Pit and the Pendulum” occurs when the walls close in on the narrator, then retract just as a hand reaches out to save him from falling into the pit .
How does the conclusion of The Pit and the Pendulum impact its overall meaning?
The overall meaning of the story is found in how the narrator experiences his captivity . The focus is on the sounds and sensations he hears and feels and the terror he experiences. His miraculous escape from the blade because of his own cleverness and the arrival of his high-ranking savior makes for a dramatic story.
What is the famous first line of the story pit and the pendulum?
What is the first line of the story? “ I was sick-sick unto death with that long agony... “
What do the rats symbolize in The Pit and the Pendulum?
The rats in “The Pit and the Pendulum” symbolize the eventual freedom of the narrator , accomplished by taking advantage of their traditional symbolism of death and decay.
What does the actual dungeon look like in the pit and the pendulum?
In his examination of the dungeon in the dark, the narrator decides that the dungeon is made of stone, smooth and slimy, and that it is about 100 yards around. He also believes that the dungeon is circular and has a circular pit in the middle of it .
What does the pendulum look like in the pit and the pendulum?
Time, however, has been made into a machine, specifically a pendulum, which appears to be swinging back and forth. ... When he returns his focus to the ceiling, he discovers that the pendulum is constructed like a scythe and is making a razor-sharp crescent in its descent toward him.
Who is the antagonist in The Pit and the Pendulum?
The Catholic church was attempting to eradicate “heretics” through grisly means. They are the antagonists because they have a goal contrary to the protagonist (they want him to die, and he does not want to) and we do not root for them to succeed.
