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Edgar Allan PoeA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
There is only one significant character in “The Premature Burial,” the unnamed narrator. Scholars debate whether this character reflects Poe’s own fears of death and premature burial, or simply allows him to satirize this fear that was prevalent in his time. Regardless of the plot’s origins, the character functions to explore these fears. His lack of a name reflects the themes of mystery and the unknown within the tale.
The narrator initially appears to be a rational and intelligent individual who is highly educated about premature burial. As the story progresses, his obsession with the possibility of being buried alive causes him to become increasingly isolated from others, and he begins to withdraw from society. He becomes paranoid and suspicious of those around him, believing that they may even be conspiring to bury him alive just to get rid of him. His fear and anxiety intensify, affecting his mental and physical health, and he becomes increasingly unstable.
By Edgar Allan Poe
A Dream Within a Dream
A Dream Within a Dream
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Annabel Lee
Annabel Lee
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Berenice
Berenice
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Hop-Frog
Hop-Frog
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Ligeia
Ligeia
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Tamerlane
Tamerlane
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The Black Cat
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The Cask of Amontillado
The Cask of Amontillado
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The Conqueror Worm
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The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar
The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar
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The Fall of the House of Usher
The Fall of the House of Usher
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The Gold Bug
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The Haunted Palace
The Haunted Palace
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The Imp of the Perverse
The Imp of the Perverse
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The Lake
The Lake
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The Man of the Crowd
The Man of the Crowd
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The Masque of the Red Death
The Masque of the Red Death
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The Murders in the Rue Morgue
The Murders in the Rue Morgue
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The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket
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The Oval Portrait
The Oval Portrait
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