As I imagine that I’m standing at the edge of the cliff looking at a chasm I can envision the bottom being a mining territory and that I can possibly extract precious minerals from it. Or that the view is so overwhelming that I would buy a helicopter and take tourists to this site so I can earn some money. Of course if I look down at the chasm I will marvel at it because it’s so terrifyingly deep and at the same time intriguing. It’s a work of God, how could someone not feel something being at such a dangerous height?
I think that a big part of the suspense in "The Pit and Pendulum" comes from two sources.
The first is the unknown. The reader has no idea why the protagonist has been arrested and sentenced. The opening paragraphs have him in and out of conscious thought all while hallucinating. We don't know who he is or what he has done to deserve punishment. Once he is in his cell, the unknown continues.
Answer:
We tell jokes! I do tricks
With my fellow candlesticks
Or:
No one's gloomy or complaining
While the flatware's entertaining
<em>"</em><em>the </em><em>missile's </em><em>trajectory</em><em> </em><em>was</em><em> </em><em>preset.</em><em>"</em>
<em>;</em><em>-</em><em>/</em>
