For example, at the beginning of the story, the narrator wakes up in a dark place that is unfamiliar to him. He wakes up and says: "I tried to imagine where and what I might be... It was not that I feared seeing horrible things, but I was dismayed lest there be nothing to see” (Poe 107). Poe included this because waking up in a dark, unfamiliar place is a natural human fear. What's even worse is not knowing what the next step will be or what his fate will be. The narrator can see in the last seconds of his life that he has a choice between life and death. The pendulum above him keeps getting closer, but only at intervals of an inch each time. Throughout the time he spends tied up, he experiences many different emotions regarding the death that awaits him. The narrator's mixed emotions are linked to the swinging movements of the pendulum. At one point, he is so psychologically disturbed that he considers giving up. However, he tries to ignore his current nervousness and think seriously about what he can do to save himself. He finally comes up with a plan to save himself from the final swing of the pendulum that would have killed him and is saved. In “The Pit and the Pendulum,” Poe is obsessed with death and this manifests itself in several ways. He shows this through diction and imagery by