Single effect in the setting of the masque of red death

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Poe believed that unity of a "single effect" was the most essential quality of all successful short fiction . how does the setting in "The Masque of Red Death " contribute to the single effect ?

-- Anonymous, May 12, 2002

Answers

One must first analyze that 'single effect' of the story itself before one can determine its conrtibutors. The story seems to be an allegory about the vague futility of life itself, in that we all have, ultimately, the same fate, and no amount of sequestering oneself can keep out Death. The Castle of Prince Prospero, the prime setting for the story, may symbolize one of two things. First, it may be the vain attempts that so many humans make at preventing, or at least delaying, Death. For the second possible explanation, the vibrance of the apartments of colour during the Prince's party is key. They Prince throws the party to lighten the spirits of the guests, and one may notice that the motif of the story even lightens during its description. The castle, in this aspect, may be the facade of happiness many put up, getting lost in our own lives, so as not to fear inherent Death.

-- Anonymous, November 05, 2002

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