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AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirementsfor the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters
By
MARTHA DANI HESTIANAWATI
Student Number: 044214003ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
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Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma:
Nama : Martha Dani Hestianawati
Nomor Mahasiswa : 044214003
Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul:
THE SYMBOLS AND ALLEGORY AS CRUCIAL KEYS TO REVEAL THE THEME IN EDGAR ALLAN POE’S
“THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH”
beserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan, mengalihkan dalam bentuk media lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan data, mendistribusikan secara terbatas, dan mempublikasikannya di Internet atau media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta ijin dari saya maupun memberikan royalti kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis.
Demikian pernyataan ini yang saya buat dengan sebenarnya.
Dibuat di Yogyakarta
Pada tanggal: 31 Maret 2010
Yang menyatakan
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Gaily I lived as ease and nature taught,
And spent my little life without a thought,
And am amazed that Death, that tyrant grim,
Should think of me, who never thought of him.
~René Francois Regnier
Because I could not stop for Death,
He kindly stopped for me.
The Carriage held but just ourselves
And Immortality
~Emily Dickinson
You can be a king or a street sweeper,
but everybody dances with the Grim Reaper.
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I dedicated this undergraduate thesis to:
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank my Lord, Mother Mary, and my Guardian Angel, who always gives me strength and blessing to finish this undergraduate thesis.
Their love make me believe that I am not alone to finish my undergraduate thesis
as my last duty in Sanata Dharma University.
My big gratefulness is addressed to Maria Ananta, S.S., M.Ed., as my advisor, for her guidance, patience, suggestions and corrections in the process of
writing this undergraduate thesis. Mostly by her guidance, I understand what to do
in preparing and finishing my undergraduate thesis. My gratitude also goes to my
co-advisor, Elisa Dwi Wardani, S.S., M.Hum., for her critical correction, and all of the lectures and staff of English Letters Department for the betterment of it.
I also would like to give my special gratitude to my beloved family: my
father, Tarsisius Mulyadi who always gives me support to finish this undergraduate thesis, my mother, Bernadeta Monica Sudarwati who always prays for me and gives me courage in my life, my sister and brother, Veronica Deni Ambarwati and Stephanus Wempi Gunarto who always give me spirit and advice to finish this thesis, my cuties nephew, Gerrard Pilar Arkana Gunarto, who always cheer me up with his attitude.
My deepest thank is also addressed to my partner: Miss Hernawaty and Miss Ajeng, for the support, motivations, and tips.
My sweet thanks are directed to all my friends, Rico for his computer and
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Jojo, Siswanto, Patrick, Ucok ‘kribo’, and all my friends who have given me
wonderful moments in my life. I thank them for accepting me just the way I am.
They are the best I have ever had in my lifetime.
I am also grateful to my starlight, Alexander Febi Arisandi who always be there for me. His love, spirit, guidance, motivated and patience make me know
the beauty of life. I thank him for loving me just the way I am. I always believe
that we still have a time to share in the future.
I thank all my friends who belong to English Letters study program 2004,
Sanata Dharma University whom I cannot mention one by one down here. May
God give blessing to all of them.
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CHAPTERI: INTRODUCTION ... 1
A. Background of the Study ... 1
B. Problem Formulation ... 3
C. Objectives of the Study ... 3
D. Definition of Terms ... 3
CHAPTERII: THEORETICAL REVIEW ... 5
A. Review of Related Studies ... 5
B. Review of Related Theories ... 8
1. Theory of Symbol ... 8
2. Theory of Allegory ... 11
3. Theory of Theme ... 13
C. Theoretical Framework ... 15
CHAPTERIII: METHODOLOGY ... 17
A. Object of the Study ... 17
B. Approach of the Study ... 18
C. Method of the Study ... 20
CHAPTERIV: ANALYSIS ... 22
A. Symbols in “The Masque of the Red Death” ... 22
1. Prince Prospero ... 22
2. The Red Death ... 24
3. The Revellers ... 26
4. The Castle’s Chambers ... 28
5. The Clock ... 30
B. Allegory in “The Masque of the Red Death” ... 32
1. The Allegory of Human Life and Death ... 33
2. The Allegory of Human’s Powerlessness in front of Death ... 36
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ABSTRACT
MARTHA DANI HESTIANAWATI (2010). The Symbols and Allegory as Crucial Keys to Reveal the Theme in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Masque of the Red Death”. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University.
This study analyzes the symbols and allegory that reveal the theme in Edgar Allan Poe’s short story entitled “The Masque of the Red Death”. There are three problems discussed in this study, namely what symbols exist in the story, what allegory exists in the story, and how the symbols and allegory reveal the theme in the story.
This study uses theories by, Harmon, Perrine, and Stanton to analyze the symbols in the story, theories by Carrez, Literary dictionary, and Jacobs to analyze the allegory in the story, and theories by Jaffe, Scott and Stanton to analyze how the theme is revealed.
Library research method is used as the method of this study, because the data are obtained from written sources. Formalistic approach is used as the approach of this study because this approach focuses on recurring elements in many literary works, including symbols, allegory, theme, actions, and characters. This approach is suitable because the elements analyzed in this story, such as symbols and theme related to death, have recurred in other literary works.
There are three findings in this study. Firstly,this story contains some symbols, namely Prince Prospero, the Red Death, the revellers, the chambers in the castle, and the clock. Prince Prospero symbolizes prosperity or wealth, The Red Death symbolizes death, the revellers symbolize human feelings, The chambers symbolize life progression, and the clock symbolizes human’s limited time. Secondly, the symbols in this story form some allegories, namely the allegory of human life and death and the allegory of humans’ powerlessness to evade death. These allegories are presented in two levels of meaning, the literal and allegorical. In the literal level, Prince Prospero and the revellers move from the eastern chamber to the western chamber in the end. They fear the last chamber, including the chimes from the clock in that chamber. They try to avoid or fight the Red Death, and believe they can avoid the Red Death with their advantaged position. In the allegorical level, humans with all their possessions and characteristics make a journey from birth, or the dawn of their life, to death, or the dusk of their life. They fear death, including thoughts or discussions about death. They try to avoid or fight against death and believe they can avoid death through wealth, technology, science, and so on.
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Sanata Dharma.
Studi ini menganalisa simbol dan alegori yang mengungkapkan tema dari cerita pendek karya Edgar Allan Poe berjudul “The Masque of the Red Death”. Tiga permasalahan dibahas dalam studi ini, yaitu simbol-simbol apa yang terdapat dalam cerita ini, alegori apa yang terdapat dalam cerita ini, dan bagaimana simbol dan alegori tersebut mengungkap tema cerita ini.
Studi ini menggunakan teori dari Harmon, Perrine, dan Stanton untuk menganalisa simbol-simbol dalam cerita ini, teori dari Carrez, Literary dictionary, dan Jacobs untuk menganalisa alegori, serta teori dari Jaffe, Scott dan Stanton untuk menganalisa bagaimana terbentuknya tema cerita.
Metode riset pustaka digunakan dalam studi ini, karena data diperoleh dari sumber-sumber tertulis. Pendekatan Formalistic digunakan dalam studi ini, mengingat pendekatan ini berpusat pada unsur-unsur yang kerap muncul dalam berbagai karya sastra, termasuk simbol, alegori, tema, tindakan, dan tokoh. Pendekatan ini sesuai karena unsur-unsur yang dianalisa dalam cerita ini, misalnya simbol dan tema yang berkaitan dengan kematian, telah sering muncul dalam karya-karya sastra sebelumnya.
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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
Discussing what the story is about means discussing the theme of the story. If the readers are able to get the theme of the story, they will discover the meaning of the story. In order to achieve a deep understanding about the theme, it is important to pay attention to the elements of fiction that build the story. As stated by Van de Laar
and Scoonderwoerd in An Approach to English Literature, the novel or short story is made up of seven elements known as the intrinsic elements; they are story or plot, characters, delineation of character, dialogue, time and place, style and the novelist’s philosophy of life (1969:163).
Among the seven elements which make up the short story, the writer finds two important literary devices as crucial keys to reveal the theme in “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe. They are symbols and allegory. Symbols and allegory are closely related to one another. Furthermore, these devices help the writer
The literary work that will be analyzed in this thesis is “The Masque of The Red Death”, a short story by Edgar Allan Poe. This work is chosen because the
author seems to want to say something about his work. Also, in the writer’s opinion, Poe creates a very interesting short story and offers something important to learn. An article describes that “The Masque of the Red Death” affirms the futility of man in his elaborate attempts to deny and confront his own mortality
(http//www.bookrags.com/studyguide-masquereddeath/). Poe presents the symbols and allegory to the readers through the events occurring in the story and the situation as well. The clear symbols and the allegory in “The Masque of the Red Death” make the story enjoyable to read, and arouse the readers’ fear and curiosity until the end of
the story. Those two elements enclose the whole story into an organized story which has a theme. The theme can be identified by paying attention to some literary devices of fiction, such as symbols and allegory that appeared in the story. Stanton in An Introduction to Fiction states that although these devices cannot carry the theme by
themselves, they can help to define and emphasize the theme, and they can support a tentative interpretation (1965: 22). Thus, the writer sees that the symbols and allegory of this story may give some clues to find the theme of the story.
This study aims to analyze the symbols and allegory in “The Masque of the
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B. Problem Formulation
Based on the background of the study, the writer tries to formulate the
following problems to be discussed in this study. 1. What are the symbols existing in the story? 2. What is the allegory existing in the story?
3. How do the relationship of the symbols and allegory reveal the theme of the
story?
C. Objectives of the Study
This study, in general is intended to analyze the do the symbols and allegory
in the revelation of the theme in “The Masque of the Red Death”. Specifically, it has three objectives: first, the writer wants to find out the symbols the story; second, the writer wants to analyze what the allegory in the story, and third, the writer wants to analyze the relationship of symbols and allegory in revealing the theme in “The
Masque of the Red Death”.
D. Definition of Terms
In this study, it is important to know the terms used here because the terms are
significant for the study. They are: 1. Symbol
a situation, an action, or some other item that has a literal meaning in the story but suggests or represents other meaning as well” (1974: 211).
2. Allegory
According to Edgar V. Roberts and Henry E. Jacobs, in An Introduction to Reading and Writing, allegory is a complete and self-sufficient narrative, but it also signifies another series or level of events or conditions of life as
expressed in a habit of thought, a philosophy, or a religion (1987: 281). 3. Theme
Norton, in The Impact of Literature-Based Reading, states that “theme is the underlying idea that ties the plot, conflict, characters, and setting together into
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CHAPTER II
THEORETICAL REVIEW
A. Review of Related Studies
In order to understand Edgar Allan Poe’s work, “The Masque of the Red
Death”,the writer needs to know what the other writers think about this literary work.
Because“The Masque of the Red Death” is a quite a popular literary work, there have
been many studies, criticisms or research conducted about it. In this part, the writer
tries to paraphrase some of the studies and criticisms about Poe’s “The Masque of the
Red Death” by Liz Brent, Martha Womack, Phillip Van Doren Stern, Patrick Cheney,
G. R. Thompson, and other sources from the internet.
According to Liz Brent, Poe is considered one of the early masters of Gothic
fiction. The term gothic was originally borrowed from architecture, but refers to a style of literature that developed in the late eighteenth century and throughout the
nineteenth century, particularly in England. Gothic fiction is a genre of fiction which
is characterized by a dark, macabre atmosphere, and focuses on themes of death,
horror, madness and the supernatural
(http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-masquereddeath/). It is related to David R. Dudley’s statement below.
allegorical tale of how individuals deal with the fear of death as time passes (http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/html).
Martha Womack in her article about “The Masque of the Red Death”
discusses about the influence of the historical as well as current condition around Poe
when he was writing the story, especially related to plague or epidemics, as shown in
this quotation: “In writing a story of this nature, Poe would have considered such
historical examples as the Black Death or the bubonic plague of the Middle Ages as
well as the cholera epidemics that ravaged Philadelphia in the 1790's and Baltimore
in his own lifetime. However, in this story, the plague takes the unusual form of a red
death rather than a black one so that blood, the very substance of life, now becomes
the mark of death” (www.poedecoder.com/Qrisse/poeref.html).
Supporting Womack’s explanation, the story of “The Masque of the Red
Death” is considered related to Poe’s own experience. During Poe’s lifetime,
tuberculosis was a very common disease, characterized most notably by the symptom
of coughing up blood. As Poe’s mother, stepmother, and wife, who were three of the
most important women in Poe’s life, died of tuberculosis, it could be speculated that
the “Red Death” in the story was inspired by his own experience of losing his loved
ones who suffered from tuberculosis. “The Masque of the Red Death” displays his
mastery of the short story form, exhibits his ability to convey mood through concrete
detail, and expresses his psychological deterioration during the final years of his life,
observing the historical and personal tragedies he was experiencing at that time
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Phillip Van Doren Stern in The Portable Edgar Allan Poe states that Poe argued that allegory was an inferior literary form because it is designed to evoke
interest in both the narrative and the abstract ideas for which the narrative stands,
which distracts the reader from the singleness of effect that Poe most valued in
literature (1977: 245).
As the critic Patrick Cheney has pointed out in his article, “Poe’s Use of the
Tempest and The Bible in The Masque of the Red Death”, the final paragraph of the story take on a biblical tone, as “the language, rhythm and allusion are unmistakably
Biblical” (1983:34). Most notably, the closing sentence of the story evokes
apocalyptic images of complete devastation: “And Darkness and Decay and the Red
Death held illimitable dominion over all” (1983:34). However, Cheney argues that
unlike the Bible, where God always ultimately triumphs, in Poe’s story it is the forces
of evil, namely “Darkness and Decay and the Red Death” that ultimately triumph,
which suggest an unholy trinity winning out over light and goodness and life
(1983:34).
G. R. Thompson, in The Dictionary of Literary Biography, has pointed out that Poe was “the master of interior monologue of a profoundly disturbed mind”.
“The Masque of the Red Death”may certainly be read on a psychological level as just
such an “interior monologue,” the delusional nightmare of a madman. He states,
Poe’s ideal for the short story “aimed at an almost subliminal effect through a
carefully pre-designed and unified pattern.” Poe’s own stories certainly achieved this
proportion and careful integration of details of setting, plot, and character into an
indivisible whole.”
According to Thompson, “The vogue of Poe in France continues today with
Poe’s works holding special fascination for the structuralist, post-structuralist, and
deconstructionist cliques of avant-garde criticism.” Interestingly, however, Poe,
although a favorite among readers, is not necessarily considered to be a central figure
in the tradition of English and American writers (1979: 249-97).
There are some criticisms concerning the symbols and allegory or theme of
Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Masque of the Red Death”. However, those criticisms do not give further analysis; they only state comment or opinion about Poe’s work in “The
Masque of the Red Death”. The writer wants to develop the analysis about the
symbols and the allegory that are found in the short story and how the relationship
between thesymbols and allegory reveal the theme of the story. It is different from
the previous analysis because the writer does not want to analyze each of them but
tend to analyze the contribution of the symbols and the allegory to reveal the theme.
This thesis would be a further discussion about the contribution of the symbols and
allegory toward the revelation of the theme in “The Masque of the Red Death”.
B. Review of Related Theories 1. Theory of Symbol
Stanton, Abrams, Roberts and Jacobs, Holman and Harmon, and Stanton give
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Introduction to Fiction, “the symbols may be anything from an egg to the story’s setting, a single object, a repeated type of object, a physical substance, a shape, a
gesture, a color, a sound, a fragrance. They may represent a facet of a human
personality, the indifference of nature to man’s suffering, futility, ambition, human
responsibility, the romanticism of youth” (1965:31). Stanton classifies symbols as
one of the literary devices, along with style, tone, and irony. Literary devices are “the
author’s methods of selecting and arranging the details of a story so as to create
meaningful patterns”, with the purpose “to enable the reader to see the facts through
the author’s eyes, to see what the facts mean, and thus to share the imagined
experience” (1965: 23).
Stanton’s theory is supported by Abrams’ statement about symbols, that “they
are an irreplaceable literary device” (1985: 207), as well as Abrams’ definition about
symbol, which is shown in the quotation below.
In the broadest sense a symbol is anything which signifies something; in this sense all words are symbols. In discussing literature, however, the term "symbol" is applied only to a word or phrase that signifies an object or event which in its turn signifies something, or has a range of reference, beyond itself (1985: 207).
According to Roberts and Jacobs in An Introduction to Reading and Writing, symbol in literature pulls or draws together a specific thing with ideas, values,
persons, or ways of life. A symbol might also be regarded as a substitute for the
elements being signifies. In short stories and other types of literature, a symbol is
usually a person, thing, place, action, situation, or even thought. The symbol points
like a key opening lock, it signifies a specific combination of attitudes, a sustained
constancy of meaning, and the potential for wide-ranging application (1987: 279).
While Stanton classifies symbol as one of the “literary devices”, Roberts and Jacobs
classifies symbol and allegory as one of the “writer’s tools”, along with narration,
style, point of view, description, dialogue, commentary, tone, and irony (1987:
65-69). Roberts and Jacobs define “writer’s tools” as the “modes of presentation”, with
which the authors may create their stories (1987: 65).
According toHolman and Harmon in A Handbook to Literature, symbol is a word or objects that stands for another word or object. The object or word may or
may not be visible or easily seen by the eye (1983:151). Laurence Perrine in
Literature Structure, Sound and Sense also support the theory of symbol. It is said that “a literary symbol is something that means more than what it is. It is an object, a
person, a situation, an action, or some other item that has a literal meaning in the
story but suggests or represents other meaning as well” (1974:211). Perrine gives a
very simple illustration of symbol that can be found in the name of symbolism. In a
story, the author may choose names for the characters that serve not only to label
them but also to suggest something about them.
In An Introduction to Fiction, Stanton further explains that symbolism in fiction has three usual effects, depending upon how it is used. First, a symbol that
appears during an important moment of the story underlines the significance of that
moment. Second, a symbol repeated several times reminds us of some constant
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to define or clarify the theme. The same symbol may function in three ways. The
method of interpreting symbols, which are noting the symbol’s connotations,
comparing it to its context, comparing its context to another can be useful, but no
“method” can replace close attention and thought (1965:32-33). In addition, the
meaning of a symbolic character is complex, multiple, and ambiguous. In both
allegory and symbolism the characters, setting, and plot represent something larger
than themselves (Stanton, 1965:62).
2. Theory of Allegory
Abrams defines allegory as “a narrative fiction in which the agents and
actions, and sometimes the setting as well, are contrived to make coherent sense on
the ‘literal,’ or primary, level of signification, and at the same time to signify a
second, correlated order of agents, concepts, and events” (1985: 4). Meanwhile, Dr.
Stephanie Carrez gives the following definition about allegory in her paper delivered
at the conference of the Nathaniel Hawthorne Society.
An allegory only aims at indicating a second level of meaning; it provides a link between an object and an abstract meaning. The two elements remain distinct and the object's sole function is to suggest the secondary meaning. An allegory therefore represents an idea that could be expressed in abstract words, which the interpretation of allegory is finite. As a consequence, an allegory addresses the intellection of the reader and has one clear meaning (http://www.hawthorneinsalem.org/page/12218/).
According to the Literary Dictionary, allegory is a story or visual image with
a second distinct meaning partially hidden behind its literal or visible meaning, it
that its persons and events correspond to their equivalents in a system of ideas or a
chain of events external to the tale (http://www.literarydictionary.com/allegory/).
According to Stanton in An Introduction to Fiction, an allegory is a dramatization of an implied complex statement about politics, religion, morality, or
another organized subject. According to one common distinction, in allegory there is
a “one-to-one” correspondence between each character and his significance, an
allegorical character represents a conventional abstraction, a principle or group or
state of mind whose name and qualities we already know. Stanton also states that the
purpose of allegory is to cause us to act, by reminding us of a truth we know but are
unwilling or unable to recognize. Allegory conveys its meaning chiefly through such
externals as names, physical appearances, and physical relationship (1965:61-62).
According to Roberts and Jacobs in An Introduction to Reading and Writing, allegory is a complete and self-sufficient narrative, but it also signifies another series
or level of events or conditions of life as expressed in a habit of thought, a
philosophy, or a religion (1987:281). Roberts and Jacobs classifies symbol and
allegory as one of the “writer’s tools”, along with narration, style, point of view,
description, dialogue, commentary, tone, and irony (1987: 65-69). Roberts and Jacobs
define “writer’s tools” as the “modes of presentation”, with which the authors may
create their stories (1987: 65).
According to Holman and Harmon’s A Handbook to Literature, allegory is a narrative that serves as an extended metaphor. Allegories are written in the form of
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purpose of an allegory is to tell a story that has characters, a setting, as well as other
types of symbols that have both literal and figurative meanings. The difference
between an allegory and a symbol is that an allegory is a complete narrative that
conveys abstract ideas to get a point across, while a symbol is a representation of an
idea or concept that can have a different meaning throughout a literary work
(1983:145).
3. Theory of Theme
Stanton, Norton, Jaffe, and Scott give some definitions about theme in literary
works. Stanton in An Introduction to Fiction defines theme as the “meaning of a story which specifically accounts for the largest number of its elements in the simplest
way” (1965: 21). Meanwhile, Norton in The Impact of Literature-Based Reading
defines theme as “the underlying idea that ties the plot, conflict, characters, and
setting together into a meaningful whole”, and “a statement that the author wants to
convey about life or society” (1992: 28). Adrian Jaffe and Virgil Scott in The Studies in the Short Story, states that theme can be defined as “the generalization, stated or implied, that lies behind the narration at a specific situation involving specific
individuals” (1968:8).
According to Jaffe and Scott, it sounds not so easy to find a theme in a piece
of fiction. They state that the theme has several characteristics and principles. As the
first principle, the idea of theme should not be equated with that of moral. They say
something to do with behavior. The fact is that although sometimes fiction deals with
it, many other stories do not deal with moral. As the second principle, the theme
cannot be stated into a principle or general truth like “honestly is the best policy”
because human experience is more complex than that (1968:9).
Jaffe and Scott also give an approach to discover theme in a story. The role of
the reader is very great in determining the theme of a work, but general subject, tone
and other elements in the work sets limits to the reader’s freedom to interpret. For
instance, they suggest the reader to pay attention at the characters. Then the readers
should think about the situation where the characters live and how the characters
respond to the situation. At last, the reader should see what happens to the characters
as a result. A theme may be stated from the result. These factors are not absolute to
all thematic stories, but it will work for many stories and should be considered
(1968:10). It means that theme is created on purpose since the character in fiction is
treated like human beings that live in the same world, share similar emotions, react in
similar ways to similar situation, and face common problem. They state that
everything in a literary work can be called as the theme, but the theme is the most
important thing that takes toward something in the literary work.
In addition, according to Stanton, since everything in the story should help to
convey the theme, we must look closely at any events, characters, or objects that
seem irrelevant to the main line of action. Finally, we look for literary devices, such
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themselves, they can help to define and emphasize the theme, and they can support a
tentative interpretation (1965:21-22).
In this study, the allegory and the symbol that represents the other meaning, as
well as the literal meaning, reveals or conveys the theme of this short story.
C. Theoretical Framework
There are three theories that are applied in order to answer the problem
formulated in this study. First, the writer applies the theory of symbol by Carrez,
Harmon, Perrine, Jacobs, and Stanton to answer the first question in the problem
formulation. The theory of symbol is used to analyze the symbols in “The Masque of
the Red Death” and their meanings.
Then, the writer applies the theory of allegory by Carrez, The Literary Dictionary, Stanton, Jacobs, and Harmon to identify the element of allegory in the story and the meaning of the allegory. The theory of allegory is used to answer the
second question in the problem formulation about the allegory in the story.
Finally, the writer applies Stanton, Norton, Jaffe, and Scott’s theory of theme
in order to find the theme. To analyze it, the writer will use all details that she has
already had in order to find the relation of the symbol and allegory to reveal the
theme of the story. In analyzing these relationships, the writer will use explanation
about the relationships of symbol and allegory to the theme. It also will be applied to
In addition, to analyze the short story in this study, the writer chooses to apply
one of the text oriented approaches, namely the Formalistic approach. This approach
is suitable to analyze the text by examining literary devices such as symbolism and
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CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
A. Object of the Study
The object of this study is a short story entitled “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe. This short story is taken from the book entitled Tales of Edgar Allan Poe, which was published by Random House in 1944. The book consists of 562 pages, while the short story “The Masque of the Red Death” itselfconsists of seven pages, from page 380 to 387.
“The Masque of the Red Death” was first published in 1842. In the original publication, the title was given the English spelling of “mask” yet it was changed to “masque” in 1845 (Jacobus, 1996: 72-76). “The Masque of the Red Death” is regarded as a literary work from the genre of gothic fiction, which is characterized by a dark, macabre atmosphere, focusing on themes of death, horror, madness and the supernatural (http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-masquereddeath/).
go away and isolate themselves in the abbey of a castle in order to avoid the plague. They bring all the provisions they need so they could live lavishly in the castle until the plague goes away. They close the castle gate to anyone, not caring that the plague is killing the common people outside. One day, they make a luxurious costume ball to distract themselves from the suffering and death outside. The Red Death, disguised as a costumed guest, somehow enters and kills everyone there. The story is narrated in a manner which gives it the quality of a myth, allegory or fairy tale, exploring themes of man's fear of death, sin, madness, and the end of the world.
B. Approach of the Study
Formalist approach is used as the approach of this study. Guerin in A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature describes the formalist approach as an approach which involves “close reading” or “intensive reading” (2005: 93-94). While “intensive reading” itself is described as the mode of reading which obliges the readers to have “a sensitivity to the words of the text and all their denotative and connotative values and implications” and “to look for structural relationships and patterns – not just in the words and their relationships, but also in larger units” (2005: 94). This description is supported by Rivkin and Ryan in Literary Theory. They describe the formalist approach as the approach that analyzes the components of literature, the important devices and modes of operation in literature.
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operation. This analysis took two main forms in the two major genres of prose narrative and poetry (Rivkin and Ryan, 2004: 4).
One of the components that are examined in the formalist approach’s intensive reading is symbol, which is related to the connotative values and implications of a word. If the readers pay attention to recurring components such as symbols, images, or colors through their intensive reading, those components may help the readers understand more about the literary work. This idea is strongly supported by Guerin’s statement in the quotation below.
Now we can note that some of these words are deeply connotative also, or perhaps they name objects that have symbolic value, and as we probe the connotations and symbols they take on associations, or develop patterns that somehow have relevance within themselves and to other patterns. Images emerge as more and more important, perhaps insistently forcing themselves to the fore. We note that certain images, or colors, or references to time – a host of possibilities in our human experience – keep coming up. Some of these may contribute to the setting of the work, its actual place and time, or more subtly, its ambience. Bit by formal bit, we think we begin to see a theme emerging from the work (Guerin, 2005: 94-95).
C. Method of the Study
To complete the analysis, the study used library research method to collect the data. The data consisted of primary data and secondary data. The primary data was the short story by Edgar Allan Poe, “The Masque of the Red Death”, while the secondary data were taken from many other sources that were closely related to the study, such as internet and books.
The secondary data consist of books of literary theories and New Criticism; such as Guerin’s A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature, Geoffrey Leech, in his A Linguistic Guide to English Poetry; Holman and Harmon’s A Handbook to Literature; Laurence Perrine in Literature Structure, Sound and Sense; Robert Stanton in An Introduction to Fiction; Roberts and Jacobs in An Introduction to Reading and Writing; Jerome Beaty and J Paul Hunter in New Worlds of Literature; Adrian Jaffe and Virgil Scott’s The Studies in the Short Story; Phillip Van Doren Stern, in The Portable Edgar Allan Poe; Patrick Cheney in his article, “Poe’s Use of the Tempest and The Bible in The Masque of the Red Death”; G. R. Thompson, in
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CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
A. Symbols in “The Masque of the Red Death”
This part answers the first problem formulation by discussing the symbols
which can be found in Poe’s “The Masque of the Red Death”. Holman and
Harmon define a symbol as a word or objects that stands for another word or
object (1983:151). Meanwhile, Perrine describes a literary symbol as “an object, a
person, a situation, an action, or some other item that has a literal meaning in the
story but suggests or represents other meaning as well” (1974:211). Based on the
definitions above, a symbol can be presented through a character, object, place,
action, or situation. In “The Masque of the Red Death”, the prominent symbols
emerge in Prince Prospero, the Red Death, the revellers, the chambers in the
castle, and the clock.
1. Prince Prospero
Prince Prospero is the central character of “The Masque of the Red
Death”. In this story, he is presented as an insensitive person. This characteristic is
shown through his disregard to other people’s suffering. Despite the plague of the
Red Death which rages throughout his country, the Prince ignores the people’s
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abbey of his castle. Instead of helping the people, the Prince uses his wealth and
position only to protect himself and his friends.
But the Prince Prospero was happy and dauntless and sagacious. When his dominions were half depopulated, he summoned to his presence a thousand hale and light-hearted friends from among the knights and dames of his court, and with these retired to the deep seclusion of one of his castellated abbeys (Poe, 1944: 380)
To distract himself and his friends from the death and suffering outside
their walls, the prince provides his guests with all the necessary provisions,
pleasure, and even holds a masquerade ball after the fifth or sixth month.
Prince Prospero is also described as a person with extravagant and bizarre
taste. It is shown through his interior design in his castellated abbey, which
consists of multi-colored chambers, various decorations and furniture shapes. The
light comes from “a heavy tripod, bearing a brazier of fire that protected its rays
through the tinted glass and so glaringly illumined the room” instead of lamps or
candles. His taste is so extravagant and bizarre that people think he is mad.
The tastes of the duke were peculiar. He had a fine eye for colors and effects. He disregarded the decora of mere fashion. His plans were bold and fiery, and his conceptions glowed with barbaric lustre. There are some who would have thought him mad (Poe, 1944: 383).
As a symbol, Prince Prospero suggests or represents other meaning. As
stated by Perrine, symbolism can be conveyed through the character’s name
(1974: 211). Prince Prospero symbolizes financial prosperity or wealth. Firstly,
his abbey is described as “an extensive and magnificent structure” with finely
decorated chambers. To build and decorate such an abbey surely requires
enormous wealth. Secondly, Prospero’s wealth is so enormous that he can easily
thousand of friends, but he also provides “all the appliances of pleasure” and
holds parties “of the most unusual magnificence”.
The prince had provided all the appliances of pleasure. There were buffoons, there were improvisatori, there were ballet-dancers, there were musicians, there was Beauty, there was wine. All these and security were within. Without was the “Red Death” (1944: 380-381).
With his name and ability to build such a luxurious abbey, to provide
necessities and pleasure for such a big number of people, Prince Prospero
represents the power of wealth or prosperity.
2. The Red Death
In “The Masque of the Red Death”, the Red Death is described in two
forms. Firstly, the Red Death is described as a terrible plague or disease, which is
ravaging the country. The victims of the Red Death felt dreadful pains in their
body, bleed profusely from their body and face, and die within a very short time
after contracting the disease.
THE "Red Death" had long devastated the country. No pestilence had ever been so fatal, or so hideous. Blood was its Avatar and its seal --the redness and the horror of blood. There were sharp pains, and sudden dizziness, and then profuse bleeding at the pores, with dissolution. The scarlet stains upon the body and especially upon the face of the victim were the pest ban which shut him out from the aid and from the sympathy of his fellow-men. And the whole seizure, progress and termination of the disease, were the incidents of half an hour (1944: 380).
This plague is very infectious and spreads very rampantly. As a proof,
Prince Prospero’s dominions are described as “half depopulated”, which means
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Secondly, the Red Death is described as a character or figure that brings
the plague. It appears mysteriously at Prince Prospero’s ball; nobody knows when
it comes or where it comes from. Since all the revellers wear fancy costumes, at
first nobody notices it. After midnight, the Red Death’s presence starts to arouse
reaction from all people, namely “a buzz, or murmur, expressive of
disapprobation and surprise --then, finally, of terror, of horror, and of disgust”
(1944: 385). They give such reaction because of the Red Death’s scary
appearance.
The figure was tall and gaunt, and shrouded from head to foot in the habiliments of the grave. The mask which concealed the visage was made so nearly to resemble the countenance of a stiffened corpse that the closest scrutiny must have had difficulty in detecting the cheat. His vesture was dabbled in blood --and his broad brow, with all the features of the face, was besprinkled with the scarlet horror (1944: 385).
As a symbol, the Red Death represents other meaning. As stated by
Perrine, symbolism can be conveyed through the character’s name (1974: 211).
Furthermore, Stanton states that “personal description almost always helps us both
to visualize the person and to understand his characters” (1965: 18). From the
name itself, it can be easily seen that the Red Death symbolizes death. The
description of the Red Death’s figure further supports this symbolism by
conveying the fatal, painful, horrifying nature of death. Furthermore, when the
guests seize the mask off the figure, they find that there is no “tangible form”
beneath the corpselike costume (1944: 387). Also, as described below, the figure
had crept into the sealed abbey “like a thief in the night”.
about Judgment Day from the Bible, which says “For yourselves know perfectly
that the Day of the Lord so cometh like a thief in the night.” (1 Thessalonians
5:2). The descriptions above show that death has no shape and comes
unexpectedly without warning.
3. The Revellers
The revellers refer to the people who take part in the “gay and magnificent
revel” or party held by Prince Prospero. The revellers consist of Prince Prospero’s
friends, servants and entertainers. While the deadly plague ravages his country,
Prince Prospero invites “a thousand hale and light hearted friends from among the
knights and dames of his court” to escape the plague by hiding in the abbey with
him (1944: 380). Prince Prospero also takes servants, buffoons, improvisatori,
ballet-dancers, and musicians to serve and entertain himself and his friends. While
there is no mention of any individual character among the Prince’s friends,
servants, and entertainers, they all share a collective role as characters in the story.
In the fifth or sixth month of their seclusion, Prince Prospero “entertained
his thousand friends at a masked ball of the most unusual magnificence” (1944:
381). With the magnificent food, drink, music, and decoration provided by Prince
Prospero for the party, all the revellers can do merry activities such as eating,
drinking, chatting, laughing, dancing, and having fun.
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However, the revellers’ merry activities interspersed by fear. Whenever
the clock chimes every hour, the revellers pause their activities because of the
great fear that they feel which is apparent in their facial expressions and gestures.
However, as soon as the chimes of the clock stop, the revellers are relieved, forget
their fear, and quickly go back to their previous activities, as shown in the
quotations below.
At lapse of an hour, the musicians of the orchestra were constrained to pause, momentarily, in their performance, to hearken to the sound; and thue the waltzers perforce their evolutions; and there was a brief disconcert of the whole gay company; and, while the chimes of the clock yet rang, it was observed that the giddiest grew pale, and the more aged and sedate passed their hands over their brows as if in confused revery or meditation. (1944: 382).
But when echoes had fully ceased, alight laughter at once pervaded the assembly; the musicians looked at each other and smiled as if at their own nervousness and folly. (1944:383).
The revellers also show great fear when the mysterious masked figure
comes to the ball. When the figure, which later turns out to be the Red Death,
appears at the ball, the revellers are afraid of this figure and try to avoid it. Despite
Prince Prospero’s order to seize the figure because it has intruded into their party,
they collectively shrink back in fear and nobody tries to stop it.
As a symbol, the revellers in this story represent other meaning. Robert
Stanton states that “a third type of evidence to simplify the character is provided
by the other character in a story, even the minor ones. Their attitudes toward a
major character are important, their similarities to, or difference from, help to
define his most significant traits” (1965: 18). In this story, the revellers symbolize
ball show human’s instinctive desire for pleasure over anything else. Despite that,
the revellers are not exempt from disconcert and fear, which show the fear that
always permeate human feelings.
4. The Castle’s Chambers
“The Masque of the Red Death” takes place in Prince Prospero’s
castellated abbeys, to be precise in the imperial suite which consists of seven
chambers. The first is the blue chamber, followed by the purple chamber, the
green chamber, the orange chamber, the white chamber, the violet chamber, and
the last is the black chamber. Each chamber is decorated with a single color, from
the walls, the stained glass forming the windows, the panes, the tapestries, to the
ornaments.
That at the eastern extremity was hung, for example, in blue–and vividly blue were its windows. The second chamber was purple in its ornaments and tapestries, and here the panes were purple. The third was green throughout, and so were the casements. The fourth was furnished and lighted with orange–the fifth with white–the sixth with violet (1944: 381).
The last chamber, the black chamber, is the exception. The tapestries are
black, but the blood-red window panes do not correspond with the color scheme.
Furthermore, this chamber produces gloomy and frightening impression to the
people that “there were few of the company bold enough to set foot within its
precincts at all” (1944: 382).
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the windows failed to correspond with the decorations. The panes here were scarlet–a deep blood color (1944: 381-382).
The chambers described above are part of the building which functions as
the setting of this story. Literally, the chambers are just parts of the building, but
as a symbol, they represent other meaning. This is supported by Rohrberger and
Woods’ theory that the setting can contribute to the atmosphere or predominated
mood, it can be active in foreshadowing, and it can be symbolic (1971: 22).
The chambers symbolize life progression. According to Allan Watts in
Myth and Ritual in Christianity, there are seven stages of human’s life, which are
birth, toddler, childhood, teen years, middle years, senior years and death (1954:
195). The series of color in the seven chambers represent the seven stages of
human’s life, and each color represents a stage. The first chamber is blue,
according to this reading, the blue room, which is furthest to the east, represents
birth. The color suggests the "unknown" from which a human being comes into
the world. According to Guerin in A Handbook of Critical Approaches to
Literature, blue meaning security and spiritual purity. Prospero and his guests
were, in fact, trying to escape the Red Death by hiding in the secure castle. Thus is
the “birth” of security. The second chamber is purple, suggests the beginnings of
growth or toddler. Green, the next color of chamber, suggests the "spring" of life
or childhood (Guerin, 1999:161). The fourth chamber is orange, denotes warmth
and energy, and represents teen years. White, the next color, suggests middle
years – think white hair, and bones (Guerin, 1999:161). The sixth chamber is on
violet, being a darker color, represents awareness, wisdom and drama. Thus is
the black chamber represents the strong association between blood and death.
This symbolism is also supported by the location of the chambers, which
begin in the East and end in the West. The blue chamber is located in “the eastern
extremity” (1944: 381) while the black chamber is located “in the western” (1944:
382). The series of chambers is parallel with the sun’s movement, which further
suggests the progression of life. The sun rises in the East and sets in the West. The
sun’s rising marks the beginning of the day, which suggests the birth. During the
day, as the sun moves from the East to the West, we do many activities, which
suggests a person’s lifetime. The sunset marks the end of the day, at which we
stop our activities and sleep. Death, of course, is often described as eternal sleep.
5. The Clock
In “The Masque of the Red Death”, a gigantic ebony clock is located in the
seventh chamber. It has a pendulum that swings “to and fro with a dull, heavy,
monotonous clang” (1944: 382). Every hour, it makes a very loud ringing sound
that can be heard by everyone throughout all the chambers. This sound makes
everyone freeze with fear and stop whatever activity he or she is doing. However,
when the clock stops ringing, everyone returns to his or her normal activity and
dismisses his or her previous fear.
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there was a brief disconcert of the whole gay company; and, while the chimes of the clock yet rang, it was observed that the giddiest grew pale, and the more aged and sedate passed their hands over their brows as if in confused reverie or meditation. But when the echoes had fully ceased, a light laughter at once pervaded the assembly; the musicians looked at each other and smiled as if at their own nervousness and folly (1944: 382-383).
As a symbol, the clock represents other meaning. Related to Perrine’s
theory about symbolism through the character’s name (1974: 211), Poe once
capitalizes the word Time as if it were a proper name, which suggests that he is
referring to time in a broader symbolic sense, rather than simply in a literal sense.
Also, Stanton states that symbolism in fiction has three usual effects (1965: 32).
First, a symbol that appears during an important moment of the story underlines
the significance of that moment. Second, a symbol repeated several times reminds
us of some constant element in the story’s world. Third, a symbol that recurs in
varying contexts helps to define or clarify the theme. (1965: 32-33).
The clock symbolizes human’s limited remaining time, because it is
repeated several times and appears during important moment of the story. First,
the chiming of the clock every hour shows that time keeps passing, while the
passage of time brings us closer to our death. The revellers’ disconcert at the
clock’s chime shows human’s reluctance to think about their approaching death.
Second, the clock’s twelve chimes at midnight mark the appearance of the Red
Death figure. The crowd becomes aware of the Red Death exactly as the clock
strikes twelve at midnight. The hour of midnight, marking the end of the day, thus
symbolizes the end of life.
(1944: 384).
Accordingly, the breakdown of the clock also marks the death of everyone
in the castle, as “the life of the ebony clock went out with that the last of the gay”
and “Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all”
(1944: 387).
B. Allegory in “The Masque of the Red Death”
This part answers the second problem formulation by discussing the
allegory based on the findings about symbols in “The Masque of the Red Death”.
The Literary Dictionary describes allegory as containing “a continuous parallel
between two (or more) levels of meaning in a story, so that its persons and events
correspond to their equivalents in a system of ideas or a chain of events external to
the tale” (http://www.literarydictionary.com/allegory). Meanwhile, Stanton
defines an allegory as a dramatization of an implied complex statement about a
subject, with “one-to-one” correspondence between each character and his
significance (Stanton, 1965:61-62). According to Holman and Harmon, the
difference between an allegory and a symbol is that an allegory is a complete
narrative that conveys abstract ideas to get a point across, while a symbol is a
representation of an idea or concept (1983:145). Based on the descriptions, both
allegory and symbols have two levels of meaning or represent something
different. However, as a “complete narrative” or “complex statement”, allegory
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As discussed in the previous part, “The Masque of the Red Death”
contains several symbols. Each of these symbols does not stand on its own
independently. Rather, the symbols are connected with each other, and the
combination of their meanings conveys an “implied complex statement” about
life. This combination of symbols to convey statement or narrative is called an
allegory. Thus, “The Masque of the Red Death” is an allegorical story. “The
Masque of the Red Death” can be seen firstly as the allegory of human life and
death and secondly as the allegory of humans’ powerlessness to evade death,
which is elaborated through the symbols featured in the story.
1. The Allegory of Human Life and Death
“The Masque of the Red Death” is an allegory of human life and death,
which is presented in two levels of meaning. Since this is an allegory, there is a
one-to-one correspondence between each symbol and the meaning it represents; as
already discussed in the previous part, Prince Prospero symbolizes financial
prosperity, the Red Death symbolizes death, the revellers symbolize human
feelings, the chambers symbolize the stages of life, and the clock symbolizes
human’s limited time. There is also a one-to-one correspondence between the
symbols’ interaction and the narrative it represents, which will be elaborated
further below.
In the literal level of meaning, the characters move from the first chamber
in the east to the last chamber in the west. Prince Prospero first spots the Red
Prince Prospero, since the figure is described as “near at hand” (1944: 386).
It was in the eastern or blue chamber in which stood the Prince Prospero as he uttered these words. They rang throughout the seven rooms loudly and clearly --for the prince was a bold and robust man, and the music had become hushed at the waving of his hand.
It was in the blue room where stood the prince, with a group of pale courtiers by his side. At first, as he spoke, there was a slight rushing movement of this group in the direction of the intruder, who at the moment was also near at hand, and now, with deliberate and stately step, made closer approach to the speaker (1944: 386).
Afterwards, the Red Death figure walks westward through the rest of the
chambers “with the same solemn and measured step which had distinguished him
from the first, through the blue chamber to the purple --through the purple to the
green --through the green to the orange --through this again to the white --and
even thence to the violet, ere a decided movement had been made to arrest him”
(1944: 386). Prince Prospero follows after the Red Death westward through all the
chambers. He confronts the Red Death at the black chamber, which is the last
chamber in the western extremity, and dies.
He bore aloft a drawn dagger, and had approached, in rapid impetuosity, to within three or four feet of the retreating figure, when the latter, having attained the extremity of the velvet apartment, turned suddenly and confronted his pursuer. There was a sharp cry --and the dagger dropped gleaming upon the sable carpet, upon which, instantly afterwards, fell prostrate in death the Prince Prospero (1944: 386-387).
Directly after that, “a throng of the revellers at once threw themselves into
the black apartment” and “seizing the mummer” (1944: 387). This event also
happens in the black chamber, thus implying that the revellers also follow Prince
Prospero and the Red Death’s progression westward to the black chamber, the one
35
which is not filled the ball’s happy and lively atmosphere, unlike the other six
chambers.
And now again the music swells, and the dreams live, and writhe to and fro more merrily than ever, taking hue from the many-tinted windows through which stream the rays from the tripods. But to the chamber which lies most westwardly of the seven, there are now none of the maskers who venture. ... But these other apartments were densely crowded, and in them beat feverishly the heart of life (1944: 384).
Furthermore, the black chamber contains the only object feared by the
revellers, a gigantic ebony clock, whose loud chimes can be heard throughout the
other chambers every hour. The sound makes the revellers stop their activities,
frozen with disconcert and fear, as shown in the quotation “the giddiest grew pale,
and the more aged and sedate passed their hands over their brows as if in confused
revery or meditation” (1944: 382). However, when the clock stops chiming, the
revellers quickly go back to their revelry and dismiss their previous fear, as shown
in the quotation below.
But when the echoes had fully ceased, a light laughter at once pervaded the assembly; the musicians looked at each other and smiled as if at their own nervousness and folly, and made whispering vows, each to the other, that the next chiming of the clock should produce in them no similar emotion; and then, after the lapse of sixty minutes, (which embrace three thousand and six hundred seconds of the Time that flies,) there came yet another chiming of the clock, and then were the same disconcert and tremulousness and meditation as before (1944: 382).
In the allegorical level of meaning, humans make a journey from birth to
death, which is presented through the movement of the characters, namely Prince
Prospero, the Red Death, and the revellers, from the first chamber to the last
chamber. Human life begins with the birth, also known as the dawn of their life,
corresponds with the characters’ death at the western extremity shortly after
midnight.
This allegory is further supported by the revellers’ avoidance of the black
chamber, which corresponds with human’s avoidance of death or anything related
to death. While they are alive, human beings tend to avoid thinking or talking
about death, as if by avoiding thoughts or discussions about death, they could
avoid death itself. This also explains the revellers’ disconcert and fear at the
chime of the clock, which corresponds with human’s disconcert and fear at the
reminder that they only have limited time remaining in their life. The chime can
be heard from all the chambers, which corresponds with the fact that in every
stage of life, human beings are constantly reminded of their approaching mortality
through events like birthdays, other people’s deaths, time in the calendar, and so
on. The fact that this clock is located in the black chamber, towards which Prince
Prospero and the revellers are moving, reveals how human beings are still
approaching death regardless of their avoidance, disconcert, and fear.
2. The Allegory of Human’s Powerlessness in front of Death
“The Masque of the Red Death” is also an allegory of human’s
powerlessness in front of death, which is presented in two levels of meaning. As
an allegory, it contains one-to-one correspondence between each symbol and the
meaning it represents: Prince Prospero symbolizes financial prosperity, the Red
37
a correspondence between the symbols’ interaction and the narrative it represents,
which will be elaborated below.
In the literal level of meaning, Prince Prospero and the revellers cannot
defeat the Red Death despite their advantage in wealth, number, strength, beauty
and happiness. Prince Prospero’s enormous wealth enables him to isolate himself
and his friends in a castle which is so strong and secure that it becomes impossible
to enter or exit. They are protected by the castle’s walls, while the common people
are vulnerable and exposed to the Red Death.
This was an extensive and magnificent structure, the creation of the prince's own eccentric yet august taste. A strong and lofty wall girdled it in. This wall had gates of iron. The courtiers, having entered, brought furnaces and massy hammers and welded the bolts. They resolved to leave means neither of ingress or egress to the sudden impulses of despair or of frenzy from within. The abbey was amply provisioned. With such precautions the courtiers might bid defiance to contagion (1944: 380).
The revellers clearly have advantage in number, as they are comprised of
Prince Prospero’s thousand of friends, along with servants, buffoons, musicians,
ballet-dancers, and improvisatori. The thousand of friends summoned by Prince
Prospero to his castle are described as “hale and light-hearted friends from among
the knights and dames of his court” (1944: 380). The word hale is defined in
Oxford Dictionary as “strong and healthy” (1995: 534), while knights and dames
are people with noble ranks or titles. Therefore, the description above suggests
that they are strong, healthy, happy, and originate from upper-class or aristocratic
background.
Prince Prospero’s enormous wealth also enables him to fill his and his
and decorating the castle with the best design and ornaments. Therefore, Prince
Prospero and the revellers are surrounded by beauty, as shown in the quotation
below, while the common people are surrounded by suffering because of the
plague in their country, as shown in the quotation “The ‘Red Death’ had long
devastated the country. No pestilence had ever been so fatal, or so hideous” (1944:
380).
He had a fine eye for colors and effects. He disregarded the decora of mere fashion. His plans were bold and fiery, and his conceptions glowed with barbaric lustre. ... There were much glare and glitter and piquancy and phantasm --much of what has been since seen in "Hernani." There were arabesque figures with unsuited limbs and appointments. There were delirious fancies such as the madman fashions. There was much of the beautiful, much of the wanton, much of the bizarre, something of the terrible, and not a little of that which might have excited disgust (1944: 383).
However, Prince Prospero and the revellers’ advantage is useless. Their
advantage in wealth, number, strength, beauty and happiness cannot help them
avoid or defeat the Red Death in any way. The Red Death finds and defeats them
nonetheless, just like it finds and defeats all the other ordinary people in the
country, as shown in the quotation below.
And now was acknowledged the presence of the Red Death. He had come like a thief in the night. And one by one dropped the revellers in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel, and died each in the despairing posture of his fall (1944: 387).
In the allegorical level of meaning, humans often try to avoid or fight
against death, which corresponds with Prince Prospero and the revellers’ efforts to
avoid and fight the Red Death. Prince Prospero and the revellers’ arrogant belief
39
Red Death using their wealth and power reveals human’s arrogant belief that he or
she can fend off the natural progress of life towards death, whether through
wealth, technology, science, or other means.
Based on Stanton’s theory, the purpose of allegory is to cause us to act by
reminding us of a truth we know but are unwilling or unable to recognize (1965:
61-62). This allegory is suitable to this theory, because it reminds the readers of
the truth about death, which the readers already know but are reluctant to
recognize. This allegory shows that in the end, no human has the power to escape
death, which corresponds with all the characters’ powerlessness to escape the Red
Death. No matter how rich Prince Prospero is, how many friends he has, how
secure and beautiful the castle is, how good the food and drink is, or how
attractive the entertainment is, none of the characters in the story can escape the
Red Death figure. Likewise, no matter how rich and powerful we are, no matter
how good we are at creating technological breakthroughs like recording
equipments, cosmetic operation procedures, medicine and medical equipments, no
living human can escape death. We might lose our family, friend, or loved ones to
death, and eventually, we ourselves will die. When the day comes, death occurs to
us regardless of who or what we are, which corresponds to the Red Death figure,
C. How the Symbols and Allegory Reveal the Theme of “The Masque of the
Red Death”
This part answers the last problem formulation by discussing the theme
which is revealed by the symbols and the allegory in “The Masque of the Red
Death”. The theme in literary works is defined by Stanton as the “meaning of a
story which specifically accounts for the largest number of its elements in the
simplest way” (1965: 21). The theme is also defined by Norton as “the underlying
idea that ties the plot, conflict, characters, and setting together into a meaningful
whole”, and “a statement that the author wants to convey about life or society”
(1992: 28). As already discussed in the second chapter, there are some ways to
discover the theme of a literary work. According to Jaffe and Scott, the theme is
determined by the general subject, tone and other elements in the work (1968: 10).
Meanwhile, according to Stanton, the literary devices such as symbolism, irony,
and other devices can help to define and emphasize the theme (1965: 21-22).
In “The Masque of the Red Death”, symbolism and allegory can be
considered as the prominent literary devices because they occur repeatedly and
occupy a great portion in such a short story. Thus, based on Stanton, Norton, Jaffe
and Scott’s theories above, as the prominent literary devices, the symbols and
allegory can help to define and emphasize the theme of “The Masque of the Red
Death”, which contains the statement that Edgar Allan Poe as the author wants to
convey about life or society. As discussed in the previous part which answers the
first problem formulation, the symbols in the story and the interaction between
