Have you ever read a story where fantasy is reality and things just don't make sense? This is true of “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allen Poe. It is a version of the Black Death, called the “Red Death”. Prince Prospero isolates himself and a thousand friends from the death that surrounds them, but finds he cannot avoid the inevitable. The author uses many literary devices to create an interesting and meaningful story. One of the devices used are images, which clearly evoke the events of the story in the reader's mind. Another is allegory, which is used by Poe to create another story within his own, as it is full of double meanings. Finally, Poe uses symbolism to give meaning to the story. Edgar Allan Poe uses imagery, allegory, and symbolism to add dimension to his story and express the theme that one cannot escape death, no matter how hard one tries. Poe uses imagery to paint a picture in the readers' minds, create a mood, and emphasize the meaning of certain objects. One can imagine the amazement of the rooms, which had "...a tall and narrow Gothic window...of colored glass whose color varied according to the...hue...of the room into which it opened" and was illuminated by "...a brazier of fire which projected its rays through the colored glass” (421). One can also imagine the way the crowd slows to a halt when the “…tolling of the clock…[causes] bewilderment, trembling, and meditation” (423). These descriptions hold readers' attention throughout the story. One can feel the terror of the “Red Death,” which “… had long ravaged the land” and whose “… Avatar and sigil [were] the redness and horror of blood” (420). The fact that the blood represents the disease makes it recognized as mortal and...... middle of paper......th that of the last of the gays [and] and the flames of the tripods went out” (427) to demonstrate that the situation has already changed and there is no going back. Edgar Allan Poe uses imagery, allegory, and symbolism to give allegorical meaning to his story "The Masque of the Red Death." Use images to keep readers interested by creating an image, feeling, and meaning. Poe also uses allegory to express some underlying meanings within his story through Prince Prospero, the Red Death, and the Chambers. Similarly, Poe uses symbolism to convey certain ideas through the blue and black room, the clock, and midnight. Poe also uses these literary devices to convey the idea that death is inevitable and that it is useless to try to prevent it from occurring. When people go through their daily lives, they may not know it, but many things around them may have a double meaning.