The Pit and the Pendulum Themes

In "The Pit and the Pendulum," Death is on the narrator's mind from the very first line, right up until the final moment. The strange thing is, for a story that's as morbid as can be, it ends with...

"The Pit and the Pendulum" is certainly a "scary story." It's meant to give us goose bumps, make us shiver, and generally feel like a scaredy cat. That said, even as it taps into our emotions, it f...

Toward the end of "The Pit and the Pendulum," the narrator tells us that he could no longer believe that what he saw was "unreal" (35). But, as readers, it's hard to make that same leap – though...

"The Pit and the Pendulum" exists on the razor-thin edge between life and death, consciousness and unconsciousness. Indeed, the narrator, when he's not trying to save himself, is more often than no...