The Well and the Pendulum Answer There are many aspects of Gothic elements and motifs seen throughout the story of The Well and Edgar Allen Poe's Pendulum. One of these elements is the Terror, which is seen during and before his actual imprisonment. Before being sentenced to prison, he describes his mood of fear and terror as he fears what will happen to him and how it will happen. The reader is also drawn to how his sanity is slipping away as he cannot understand what is happening. In the scene with the pendulum, his terror is also shown in the way he struggles to free himself from the ropes as the pendulum slowly descends lower and lower. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Another Gothic element depicted throughout the story is entrapment and imprisonment. This is seen when the narrator comes to his senses and is stuck in a dark cell. He completely describes his confinement in the cell and how his sanity is slowly shattering. This gives the reader an idea of how people of the time were scared of such a dark room filled only with a pit. These aspects are also seen as he is trapped under the pendulum and struggles to free himself and uses everything he can to keep himself alive. His sanity is slowly diminishing again as he gets ever closer to death. The narrator also experiences the gothic element of claustrophobia in his confined cell. Readers can infer that the narrator is experiencing this claustrophobia because he is constantly walking back and forth around the dungeon examining the length of the room. As he continues to pace back and forth, he begins to feel more and more trapped in the dark cell. His fear is at its peak when the scorching walls slowly collapse on him creating fear for both the narrator and the readers..
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