Death imagery is a popular theme in Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories. Poe’s most famous works are morbid tales or terror, madness, death and decay (Vora). Poe captures the reader’s imagination and proceeds to lead them into a world of the gothic and the grotesque. A perfect example of this type of imagery can be found in his short story “The Masque of the Red Death,” first published in 1843. The masked ball becomes a metaphor for human action and social events, and in the process uncovers Poe’s apocalyptic vision (Vora). Edgar ....