| Colours used as symbols |
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Poe believed that there is a contradiction in every man. Each of us has a soul and a body. Our soul can fly and its aim and wish is the reunion with God, while our body is tied to the Earth and has our soul locked inside it. Poe believed that only in death can the longing for unity imprinted on all matter and spirit be satisfied.
When reading the story for the second time I noticed that water in MS found in a bottle either has a white colour (foaming water as we know foam is white, phosphoric sea phosphoric is a mixture of yellow and white, wax-like) or it is clear (transparent, clear). Why is it so? As we can easily foresee even when reading the story for the first time the ship and the crew will drown in the same very water. Water is death, then why is it white? We associate colour white with freshness, purity, and clearness. Is freshness and purity your associations with death? I dont think so, but for Poe it was so. Drowning in the sea means the reunion of our soul and God. It means the balance will be restored. Death is the start of a new better life. Why not this better life will have a white colour? This new life will be fresh and pure. As we can see, colours not only create the sinister atmosphere but also are a means of expression the writers philosophical views. Lets turn to another story, called The Cask of Amontillado. It is not as colourful as MS found in a bottle, but it is still of great interest in terms of colour usage. The main events of the story are taking place in the dark surroundings. There is not enough light both outside and inside the vaults. Montresor meets Fortunato in the dusk. The main events happen during the night from dusk to midnight. Dusk and evening are the first light words we meet in the story. What is happening during the night? As we are told by numerous fairy-tales, ghosts and witches come out and frighten people. This sort of fairy-tale is international and may be that is why people from all countries if are not frightened during a night when theres no light, at least do not feel very comfortable. Therefore, it is possible to say that the simple absence of light is scary. When Montresor says, it was about dusk that I encountered my friend we already feel that something bad is about to happen. Why meet a friend in the dusk when you can meet and talk to him in the broad daylight? Taking into consideration Poes belonging to the symbolists, it is possible to say that light is a symbol of knowledge and knowing. Fortunato doesnt know that he will be killed, he is in the darkness. Once his eyes flashed with a fierce light. It happens when he starts to feel that something is about to happen. He is scared and we can see that even when he is smiling and laughing. This flash of light is a premonition, foreseeing of his death. We can also treat light as a symbol of life. This appears particularly true if we remember that fire breathes air. The two flambeaux are glowing, not shining brightly. They give only feeble light and feeble rays. The life of Fortunato when he is in the vaults is just like this light: it would take only a light blow of the wind to put out the flambeaux, and it would not require much effort on the part of Montresor to put out the light of Fortunatos life. We meet two bright colours in this story. They are dor and azure. They are used when Montresor describes his familys coat of arms. The word dor, which means gold or golden, I think emphasize the French origin of the family. The two words create a contrast between the dark colours stifling vaults and the coat of arms. This contrast reflects the state of Fortunato and Montresor. Fortunato can feel that something bad is about to happen and he is tensed, while Montresor is reserved and confident. Nothing troubles him now in his mind he may see azure sky the golden sun. We can draw a conclusion that colour and light in the Cask of Amontillado are used for slightly different purpose than in MS found in a bottle. In the Cask of Amontillado colour and light serve mostly as symbols, while in the MS their main role was to create the sinister atmosphere and express the writers philosophical views. One thing stays the same colours and light are very important means expression especially in short stories. |
