A theme in a story is the main topic of conversation or the main setting of the story. The theme is very important to a story because it allows the author of the story to emphasize on one certain issue in the story. Poe is known for his talk of death and the inner self of a person. In The Mask of the Red Death, both of these themes are present and are distinguished throughout the story. Edgar Allan Poe directs the theme to the atonement of sins because he shows how many sins the Prince and his friends are committing and the result of their sins is death.
