Question

The narrator describes one of his dreams. What happens and what is the significance? The premature burial

Answer 1

"The Premature Burial", is a horror story written by American writer Edgar Allan Poe and it was published in 1850. This story is a reflection on the common occurence during the nineteenth century of people who suffer from some sort of disease that makes other people believe they are dead and are therefore buried alive. This fear, that of burial while still alive, feeds the terror of the main character of the story, who we know nothing about, except that he suffers from catalepsy and can sometimes look like he is dead. This narrator, then, talks about his fear, his illness and explains that fear by exposing several cases of buried people who were deemed dead when in truth they were still alive. This crippling fear, and especially one dream the narrator had, in which it seems he came face-to-face with death, inspires the character to take a series of steps to ensure that if he is discovered while in a trance, he is not buried alive, or if he is, he has a way to get out. But, then, at one point, the narrator still falls asleep, in a trance, and when he apparently wakes up, he thinks that his worst nightmare has been realized as he sees the wooden cover over his head and sees that all his preparations were useless because he has none with him. It seems that he was discovered dead far from home and simply placed on a coffin from which he thinks he cannot escape. Nevertheless the narrator screams and fights against his situation and finally is discovered by boatmen who tell him he just fell asleep under a boat. This occurrence forces the narrator to realize that his fear is useless and that he cannot plan against death. Soin the end, it seems that he is almost "cured" of his phobia.