A victim of the Catholic Inquisition, he faints upon hearing his death sentence. When he wakes he is in a dark cell. He describes his confinement, trying to establish the cell’s perimeter, and from then on, his narrow escapes from death keep us fixed on his movements and thoughts, though he often alternates rapidly between calm and panic. It is never quite sure whether he is being watched or not, or whether his reactions are due to him being drugged or scared. As such, he becomes representative of the uncertainty of the time of the Inquisition.
Narrator (The Pit and the Pendulum) Quotes in Poe's Stories
The Poe's Stories quotes below are all either spoken by Narrator (The Pit and the Pendulum) or refer to Narrator (The Pit and the Pendulum). For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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The Pit and the Pendulum
Quotes
I had swooned; but will not say that all of consciousness was lost. What of it there remained I will not attempt to define, or even to describe; yet all was not lost. In the deepest slumber – no! In delirium – no! In a swoon -- no! In death – no! even in the grave all is not lost. Else there is no immortality for man.
Related Characters:
Narrator (The Pit and the Pendulum) (speaker)
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Explanation and Analysis:
Looking upwards I surveyed the ceiling of my prison. […] In one of its panels a very singular figure riveted my whole attention. It was the painted figure of Time as he is commonly represented, save that, in lieu of a scythe, he held what, at a casual glance, I supposed to be the pictured image of a huge pendulum, such as we see on antique clocks.
Related Characters:
Narrator (The Pit and the Pendulum) (speaker)
Related Symbols:
Architecture
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Explanation and Analysis:
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Narrator (The Pit and the Pendulum) Character Timeline in Poe's Stories
The timeline below shows where the character Narrator (The Pit and the Pendulum) appears in Poe's Stories. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
The Pit and the Pendulum
The story begins at the moment the narrator of "Pit and Pendulum" is sentenced to death at the time of the Catholic Inquisition. The narrator listens to...
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The narrator of "Pit and Pendulum" tries to describe the strange swoon. It is not like sleep or death, it has...
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As the "Pit and Pendulum" narrator ’s body awakens, he tries to remember his own descent into this dream world, and...
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The narrator of "Pit and Pendulum" tries to figure out what has happened. He can’t possibly be dead. He knows he...
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Stretching out his hands in the dark, the prisoner finds a wall. He attempts to find out the dimensions of his cell by tearing...
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When the narrator of "Pit and Pendulum" wakes, a pitcher of water and some bread has been placed beside him. He is...
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As the narrator of "Pit and Pendulum" lands and comes to, he realizes that he is in an extremely precarious position –...
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Eventually the narrator of "Pit and Pendulum" sleeps and when he wakes, another pitcher and loaf has been left. He drinks and...
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The narrator of "Pit and Pendulum" now realizes that while asleep he has been put on a wooden board and strapped...
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The narrator of "Pit and Pendulum" is mesmerized by this motion for a minute but then gets distracted by some huge...
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The narrator of "Pit and Pendulum" describes the torture of waiting for the pendulum’s slow descent, for days, it seems. One...
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The narrator of "Pit and Pendulum" watches the pendulum swaying back and forth, directly over his heart. He contemplates how the...
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...are ravenous and have already eaten up the portion of meat beside the bed of the narrator of "Pit and Pendulum" . Along with the movement of the pendulum, the narrator lets his hand wave over...
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...his escape, the pendulum machine stops moving and rises back up to the ceiling, and the narrator of "Pit and Pendulum" knows that his every move is being watched. He looks suspiciously around the cell. He...
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...the plans of his captors becomes frighteningly clear – the walls are closing in on the narrator of "Pit and Pendulum" . As they get closer, the sensation and smell of heat emanates from the glowing...
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The narrator of "Pit and Pendulum" tries to withstand the pressure of the closing walls but soon he barely has an...
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