The story aims to incite terror in the face of gratuitous violence. The beginning demonstrates this as even the wait for the sentence is filled with needless terror (foreshadowing what comes next). The narrator finds terror in the visual aspects of things: the “black-robed judges,” the whiteness of their faces and their grotesque thinness. We are warned against relying on our senses when the narrator faints in anticipation and “the figures of the judges vanish, as if by magic.” All this results in the fear of what can be seen and the horror of unnecessary terror. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Uncertainty suggests that the narrator has been drugged but it also tells us that he is very scared and confused by what is happening to him.We know that he is a sensible person because he thinks about counting and tracking the distance of his cage. We also know that he is sensible in the appropriate fear and recognition of his fear, “now I was the realist of cowards.” We know he can read. Further proof of his intelligence (which helps him survive the ordeal) is seen when he thinks of a plan to get out of the belt. Oppression: “The intensity of the darkness seemed to oppress and suffocate me”; “They insisted – they swarmed over me in ever-accumulating piles… I was half suffocated by their crowded pressure”; "Could I resist his pressure?" ; “the closing walls pushed me forward without resistance”. The strong feeling of oppression increases the terror felt by both the character and the reader. All these moments of oppression make the story claustrophobic and uncomfortable. It enhances the feeling of freedom when taken out of the room, like a breath of fresh air. This feeling of oppression is important to the story's central idea of ​​visual perception, as the oppression felt by the narrator is a visual oppression that translates into physical. The setting of “The Minister's Black Veil” is in a village, this is clear because “The Old Men of the Village”. The story also takes place in a church/meetinghouse, as demonstrated by the line "A rumor of some unexplained phenomenon had preceded Mr. Hooper into the meetinghouse." The setting of this story relates to the writer's ideas as they characterize the small-town mentality as well as religious fears of sins. “The Pit and Pendulum” is set in a prison in Toledo, as demonstrated by lines 131-5. The dungeon setting emphasizes the terror of the story. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay We discover the character of Poe's narrator through his reaction to things that happen to him. This slow discovery maintains the mystery of the story. We discover Mr. Hooper's personality through his interactions with other people, slowly over the course of the story. This uncertainty and slow development support the mystery of the Veil. However, Poe's use of perspective gives us a one-sided look at the narrator while Hawthorne's perspective allows the reader to see Mr. Hooper through other people's eyes..