The overall feeling I get when I read the story is the
exact feeling all Gothic and Romantic writers attempt to instill within the reader: The
feeling of helplessness that comes from the inevitability of
fate.
In this case, Poe brings out the classical example of
how not to tempt fate, because it will get you: Protecting oneself from elements which
one cannot actually control.
In the story, Prince Prospero
is described to us as a man who has it all, and for this reason believes that he
DESERVES it all. When he takes his courtiers to this palace in which each room has a
different color, and the hallway ends in a black, ebony clock (which symbolizes that we
all have a "time to die"), we can almost envy his luck in escaping the calamity of the
Red Death.
Yet, once we realize that the Red Death
penetrated the palace in disguise, we are reminded of the feeble nature of our humanity:
We can only be human. We are prone to disease, death, poverty, and despair no matter
what material possessions we enjoy.
Hence, by describing
this reality in such an accurate and colorful way, Poe is bringing the strongest topic
of Gothic literature (inevitability) in a gracious, powerful, and convincing form that
makes us look at ourselves and realize that nobody can escape
fate.
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