Fear__Not_a_Mindset_a_State_of_Being

“Fears are nothing more than a state of mind.” Great American author Napoleon Hill made this statement without taking into consideration, the mind of a gothic writer. Edgar Allen Poe, one of the most famous gothic writers, created characters whose state of minds were askew. The mental deformities that Poe places in his characters make their horrific actions seem; normal, frequent, and justifiable. Poe’s writing style completely contracts Hill’s belief that fear is a state of mind. Poe plays with the idea that fear is not a mindset; it is a state of being. This statement reflects Poe’s short stories and the characters he creates. “The Tell-Tale Heart” exposes in copious amounts the side effects of a man whose state of being in fear and horror. The nameless main character recounts the story of how he killed an old man because his eye bothered him. He begins his story by defending his actions before, recounting the story to the reader. He states, “TRUE! Nervous, very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why WILL you say that I am mad'... How then am I mad' Hearken! and observe how healthily, how calmly, I can tell you the whole story.” (Poe 95) The first side effect of a “mad man” that Poe exposes is the idea that defense is the best offense. The character feels he must justify what he did with a clear reason for his actions. The second hint Poe gives his when the main character exposes to the reader why exactly he wants to kill the old man, “I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire. I think it was his eye! Yes, it was this! One of his eyes resembled that of a vulture -- a pale blue eye with a film over it.” (Poe 95) The peculiar reasoning behind the murder gives the reader an unsettling feeling. As the story progresses the narrator becomes loquacious giving almost a play by play of his actions towards the old man. For seven straight days the narrator stuck to a quotidian cycle of watching the old man while he sleeps, waiting to be provoked by his “vulture eyes.” The dilatory actions of the narrator are justified on the eighth night when he kills the old man. The pique of the narrators story should be when the old man dies, but Poe’s gothic style of writing omits how the old man dies. It is up to the reader to draw his or her own conclusion. Poe ends the story with the mad man hearing a heartbeat. The pernicious actions of the narrator lead him to mistake his own heartbeat for the heartbeat of the murdered old man. This unsettling guilt the narrator feels gives the reader the ability to imagine the stories ending. Poe ends the story with, “"Villains!" I shrieked, "Dissemble no more! I admit the deed! -- tear up the planks! -- here, here! -- it is the beating of his hideous heart!" (Poe 99) The actions of the main character are never explained. In an eerie way this “mad man” could still be lurking, waiting to kill his next victim. The idea of the unknown, the unexpected, and the unanticipated are all characteristics of Poe’s writing style. While all three of these things make a reader feel unsettled, Poe wants the reader to know that his characters, “mad men” are constantly trapped in a bodies of fear and terror. The fear of being buried alive is a nightmare that everyone can relate to. Poe brings this nightmare to life in his short story “The Cast of Amontillado.” The main character in this story is a man named Montresor. Due to the story’s first person narration, like most of Poe’s works, the reader must remember the narrator could be unreliable. Montresor is a mad man in every way, shape and form. The long family line of Fortunados’ caused some form of pain to Montresor, he beings his story by saying, “THE thousand injuries of Fortunado I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge.” (Poe 106) Similar to “The Tale Tell Heart” Poe lets the reader fill in the blanks to what the background information in tales. Poe does not deliver the explanation for the rancor that Montresor has for Fortunado. The reader must connect the dots themselves. This idea of free interpretation is intimidating to most readers because the real answer is never exposed. Similar to our narrator in the first short story, Montresor’s plot to kill Fortunado was not a slapdash decision. The murder of Fortunado entails multiple steps, careful planning, and a lot of alcohol. Drink," I said, presenting him the wine. “He raised it to his lips with a leer… "I drink," he said, "to the buried that repose around us."” (Poe 108) Montresor concocted a plan involving alcohol so Fortunado would be easier to manipulate. Poe’s readers may have a personal fear of intoxication and what can come from drinking too much. This fear is justified by Montresor’s clever tactics to lead Fortunado into the catacombs of his own family tomb. Once in the location of the murder Montresor carry’s out his plan to burry Fortunado alive. The recalcitrant actions of Montresor give the reader the feeling that he is a man with no guilt. A guilt free narrator is one to fear because he does not feel remorse for his actions. “FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, MONTRESOR!" "Yes," I said, "for the love of God!" But to these words I hearkened in vain for a reply. I grew impatient.” (Poe 111) Like any crazy man, the idea of a victim begging for salvation is the sweetest form of satisfaction. Montresor waits for that sound of begging but it never comes. Montresor leaves Fortunado in the catacombs to die. The reason Montresor chose to leave Fortunado to rot in the tombs is a prepossessing thought. The idea of torture is a sick and twisted form of murder that the craziest, and most harmful murders choose. The two characters discussed above possess the characteristics of “mad men” this persona is not a person who has an outburst of anger. A “mad man” is someone who lives their lives believing that their harmful actions can be justified through explanation. Psychologists always say, “the first step to recovery is accepting that you have a problem.” These characters cannot recognize the fact that they have an issue because their minds tell them they are perfectly normal. The fear that all readers get while reading Poe is that his characters resemble horror; in it’s fullest form. They are not in a mindset of terror it is who they are.