Throughout American history, the argument whether or not death is ineluctable is present in many pieces of literature. In the story The Facts in the Case of M. Vladimir by Edger Allen Poe, Poe adds to the argument, which embodies the gothic work that at some point every human must come to their demise. Although some may argue that the underlying message of the story is that immortality is obtainable the true theme, death's inevitability, is shown by the word choice to show reliability, the use of realist and gothic diction and a painful death at the end of the story due to the ineffectiveness of magic or sorcery. 

In Poe's work, word choice emphasizes the idea of the inevitability of death.  The theme of the piece of literature is presented right away when the narrator says, "...through our endeavors to this effect- a garbled or exaggerated account made its way into society, and became the source of many unpleasant misrepresentations; and, very naturally, of a great deal of disbelief" (13).  By using words such as "exaggerated" and "misrepresentations" the author conveys how there is little understanding of the facts of death. There is obviously a lot of discretion and ignorance within the society in this story about whether or not magic can alter or preserve the lives of the dying and dead. Another instance where word choice ties the main theme together is when the speaker says, "His will at no period was positively, or thoroughly under my control, and in regard to clairvoyance, I could accomplish with him nothing to be relied upon" (14). P again uses words such as "clairvoyance" and "positively" and "thoroughly" to gain a certain amount of trust from the reader, which would help to argue the main point and theme of the piece of work. Poe's continuous use of words that create facts and a certain understanding of what occurred during the mesmerism. It is also a rebuttal for any argument against the books main theme of deaths inevitability and nature's power over humans. 

As well as word choice, there are also instances of diction that points towards and stresses the main theme of Poe's work.  This is present when the narrator says, "It is now rendered necessary that I give the facts-as far as I comprehend them myself" (13). The narrator is now stating that only facts about the case and events will be presented in the story told. Evidence and facts help the reader understand that what is told is the truth and gives the narrator credibility when it comes to asserting that death is natural and always an occurrence in life, which brings together the idea and main theme of the work. If the narrator was to not clarify that he is stating facts then there would be no way to say that what is being said in the story is reliable.  All together, the authors use of a realist diction and gothic styled literature, reiterates the idea which is embedded in Poe's work: that death comes whether humans try to escape it or not. The speaker again shows his reliability, in the beginning when he says, "-no person has yet been mesmerized in articulo mortis" (13). Again the diction conveys the speaker as truthful and accurate do to the fact he is a hypnotist and yet he still records and states there has yet to be a successful hypnotism. Do to the narrator's accretions there is no room for argument and opinions on death. 

Other key elements of the Poe's piece aid the stories main argument or theme. Poe adding a horrible and gruesome death at the end of the story is another device used to trace back and bold the theme.  The narrator explains the occurrence and the death when he says, " As I rapidly made the mesmeric passes, amid ejaculations of 'dead! dead!' absolutely bursting from the tongue and not from the lips of the sufferer, his whole frame at once- within the space of a single minute, or even less, shrunk- crumbled- absolutely rotted away beneath my hands. Upon the bed, before that whole company, there lay a nearly liquid mass of loathsome- of detestable putrescence" (19). This observation and occurrence observed and told by the character P, conveys and explains how even with magic and sorcery the man still suffered and consequently ended up deceased. Even a mesmerist whose profession revolves around these studies concludes that no mortal element can preserve life.  The death of M. Valdemar was an unnatural death. A man who could have died peacefully tried to defy nature and survive and in the end his demise was painful. The agonizing death is shown while Valdemar is talking to P: "For God's sake!- quick!-quick!- put me to sleep- or, quick!- waken me!- quick!- I say to you that I am dead!" (19). This instance in the story really builds on the idea of deaths inevitability. A man who at first wants to cheat death and live longer, now pleads and begs for death because he is in so much agony. Cheating death is a motif that compliments the main theme of death. The lesson to be taught is that trying to avoid the natural and inevitable just causes more harm and pain for an individual. 

This story written by Edger Allan Poe is a story of natural occurrences and fear of death. At the end a main character dies when he tries to cheat it and with the words, diction and demise in the plot the reader can conclude that the main theme of deaths inevitability is present throughout the story and each element, which makes up the story contributes to this main theme.


