The Premature Burial

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.

The narrator’s fear is rooted in deep-seated anxiety about the uncertainty of death, and his obsession with the possibility of being buried alive not only has some basis in reality, given the limitations of the medical field in his era, but also reflects a common