In the three short stories we have read in class, a theme which is implicit and present is avoidance. Avoidance is the act of keeping away from or stopping oneself from doing something. It continually appears in these stories, and is an essential theme in them. It is existent in the 7th man’s avoidance of his disastrous past, France’s avoidance of dealing with the people who had been operated on, and Prince Prospero’s avoidance of the Red Death.
First, “The 7th man” was a story about the main character’s unorthodox journey through life. It involved a catastrophic childhood and a long struggle with reality. As a child, he had witnessed his best friend’s death, and had felt responsible for it. The main character struggled through his life…show more content… He left all the people in his kingdom to die to the disease, and housed nobles and royal subjects in his castle. He did not let anyone leave or enter his castle in an attempt to avoid the Red Death which had been plaguing the lands. He had a party one night, and everyone wore masks and costumes. There were seven colored rooms in the castle, and the last one was black and red. This room was avoided because when people entered, it seemed as if they had the Red Death. Their avoidance of it was described by the author when he said, “But in the western or black chamber the effect of the fire-light that streamed upon the dark hangings through the blood-tinted panes, was ghastly in the extreme, and produced so wild a look upon the countenances of those who entered, that there were few of the company bold enough to set foot within its precincts at all.” There were few brave enough to enter the room, and it was generally avoided throughout the party. This was because it resembled exactly what they were avoiding in the first place; the Red Death. Eventually, the Red Death entered the party, and all of them were killed by it. Although Prince Prospero attempted to avoid the Red Death, he was eventually killed by it. As can be seen, the theme of avoidance was constantly present in “The Masque of the Red
