The Fear of the Unknown
The story of “Premature Death” by Allan Poe revolves around fear. Fear of the unknown is the central theme of the poem. The narrator tells the story of his fear of being buried due to his condition. He suffers from Catalepsy, a situation where one often falls entirely still and is unable to move or speak. He is afraid that this condition will lead to his death. He becomes paranoid and makes sure he only spends time with friends. His fear haunts him even at sleep; he is afraid to leave his house because he worries that strangers who are not aware of his condition might find him paralyzed and burry him. To prevent his “death” from happening, the narrator comes with several solutions. He always decides to stay close to home. He renovates his family vaults so that it can be opened from within. Because of fear of being hurried alive, the narrator stalks his tomb with food supplies and even adds a long rope that is connected to the bell on top of the tomb. He does all this because he is afraid to be buried. All the precautions that the narrator took in place shows how paranoid he was. The story also illustrates how fear can take control of our minds and behavior.
The fear of the unknown is something that everyone can relate to. We all have our worries about the future. Nobody knows how their future will turn out. I can relate with the narrator as sometimes fear and paranoia can lead us to do unexpected things. I worry about the future after education. Every day, I wonder how it will turn to be, am I wasting all these years that I have spent in school? Is the time even worthy? Will I be able to live a good life after? The fear of the unknown can make us question everything, even the unnecessary own.