The Facts In The Case Of Death Analysis

Death is something many people fear. It can come when you least expect it, in a blink of an eye. It is a way of life and no one can prevent from happening. In Edgar Allan Poe’s short story The Facts In The Case of M. Valdemar, published in December of 1845 the readers see how symbolic death is in this story; the readers can also see how mesmerism plays a role in the stopping of death, and how the main character M. Valdemar has a man vs. man conflict.
Since, the 18th century mesmerism was founded by Franz Anton Mesmer. Known first as animal magnetism, Franz Anton Mesmer later established the name mesmerism. As you can see mesmerism was used in The Facts In The Case of M. Valdemar, the main character did not want to face reality and therefore wanted to be part of an experiment and be mesmerized. Mesmerism originated from Germany and was the major influence of Edgar Allan Poe’s short story. Having …show more content…
Valdemar, shows its readers how symbolic death is. This short story introduces us to death in several ways. From the beginning death is used as time, the doctors give M. Valdemar an expiration date. Another way death is used symbolically, is through M. Valdemar’s actions. If it was not for the fact that he was dying would M. Valdemar have even thought twice about being mesmerized? What would he have done if he had been given more time to live? These are questions Edgar Allan Poe leaves his readers wondering. Death was so symbolic in this short story that there would be no purpose for the short story if it was not for death. Mesmerism gave M. Valemar an excuse not to face death as everyone else does. Possibly in his head he thought that mesmerism could not stop him from dying. In reality he was wrong and suffered the consequences of a slow dreary death. In general, the short story shows its readers how death does not stop for anyone. In the end M. Valdemar may have delayed his death, but he still perished in the end of the short