Symbols flood the pages in Edgar Allan Poe’s The Masque of the Red Death, which he uses to clearly express the theme of unavoidable mortality; Prince Prospero’s palace chambers are one such symbol. The specific layout of the rooms is one symbol found inside the palace. Poe makes a point to describe the rooms from east to west. This symbolizes the rising and setting of the sun, as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. As the sun goes through its daily routine, so do Prince Prospero and his friends. Yet, each time the sun meets the western horizon, it is a reminder of another day that has past spent inside the palace and another day closer to the inevitable, death. The colored chambers in the palace are also symbols Poe uses to convey
