4. The Bed and the Bedroom
The bed and bedroom are considered symbol because those two words have significant meaning in the story. Moreover, it may have other meanings beyond
its original meaning. The word bed according to Oxford Dictionary means a piece of furniture for
sleeping on. Meanwhile, bedroom according to the same source is a room for sleeping in. Therefore, the bed and the bedroom may symbolize serenity and
comfort. However, in this story a different perspective of symbol of bed and bedroom is given by Poe’s. It is suggests that bed and bedroom may represents
final resting place and vulnerability . It is because the narrator’s murder happens
in the bedroom and on the old man’s bed. “The old mans hour had come With a loud yell, I threw open the lantern and leaped into the room. He shrieked once --
once only .” Poe,1992:94.
5. The Action of Killing Murder
The murder in this story perhaps can be seen as literally taken someone life. However, according to Abrams 1999, action may have deeper meaning than
the original meaning itself. Therefore, the murder of the old man in the story may suggest that it is the act of the narrator’s “retaliation” towards death. In the
previous analysis, the old man in the story represents not only the presence of death but also the way to
“escape death”. The narrator, whom already corrupted by his own anxiety, cannot
contain himself finally makes an action to “erase”
death, and weakness off of his version of reality and for the narrator, it just a way to “escape death”. “He was stone dead. His eye would trouble me no more.”
Poe,1992:95. The action
of the narrator’s desperation maneuver to “escape death” can be seen throughout the story. The narrator always mentions that the old man is a
good man. However, after visualization of death see n in the old man’s eye, the
narrator goes insane and stalks the old man for every night until the narrator murder the old man in the eighth night.
“Upon the eighth night I was more than usually cautious in opening the door…” Poe,1992:93, “The old mans hour had
come With a loud yell, I threw open the lantern and leaped into the room. He shrieked once --
once only.”Poe,1992:95. Then, the old man finally dies.
6. Heartbeat
Heartbeat, in its original meaning, is sign of life or the movements of the heart when the heart does its job, which is pumping blood from the blood vessels
throughout the entire body of a human being. However, in this story, the old man’s heart beat may have other significant meaning to the story. It represents
the narrator’s conscience and guilt. The example can be seen in this passage;
“But the beating grew louder, louder I thought the heart must burst. And now a new anxiety seized me --the
sound would be heard by a neighbor ”Poe,1992:94 the previous passage
suggests that the heartbeat disturbs the narrator’s action of the murder by
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