In the short story "The Facts in the Case of M Valdemar" Edgar Allen Poe describes that death is inevitable, and although one can try and avoid their mortality, there is essentially no way to avoid one's fate. M. Valdemar is a character that attempts to escape death, but ultimately, there is nothing he can do. P., the narrator of the short story, confronts Valdemar with an option to prolong his life. Through memorization, P. believes he can help Valdemar live longer. Although the plan is obscure, Valdemar is left with no other option, and twenty-four hours before the doctors say Valdemar has to live, P attempts to hypnotize Valdemar into living longer. However, the attempt to hypnotize Valdemar before he dies turns into an inhumane science experiment. Instead of simply acknowledging that he was going to die, Valdemar attempts to fight his mortality, and consequently he suffers a more gruesome death. His mind was not willing to accept that he was going to die; however, his body did and began to decay. Poe, an author notorious for his obsession with death, writes a dark short story on how flirting with death ultimately leads to consequences worse than accepting the ultimatum of mortality.  In "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar," Poe alludes to the fact that attempting to interfere with the forces of life can cause greater hardship than simply accepting fate. 

The story starts with P receiving a letter from Valdemar on his deathbed, and the doctor's give Valdemar a limited amount of time to live. Valdemar is diagnosed with phthisis, also known as tuberculosis, and both Doctor D. and Doctor F. are unable to cure Valdemar of his disease. Upon P's arrival to Valdemar's deathbed, it is clear that Valdemar has little time to live. Poe depicts Valdemar's condition when he writes, "His face wore a leaden hue; the eyes were utterly lusterless; and the emaciation was so extreme that the skin had been broken through by the cheek-bones. His expectoration was excessive. The pulse was barely perceptible. He retained,nevertheless, in a very remarkable manner." Poe writes that Valdemar's eyes are lusterless, and describing the lack of luster in Valdemar's eyes further emphasizes that there is little hope left for him. However, P. is eager to attempt to hypnotize Valdemar in hope for a medical breakthrough. In order to keep the experiment more controlled and better documented, P. brings Mr. Theodore L. with him to record notes on the experiment. P's first attempt to hypnotize Valdemar is unsuccessful, but P. alters his techniques and eventually completely hypnotizes Valdemar. In great detail, Poe describes P's hypnosis techniques when he says, "I was not satisfied, however, with this, but continued the manipulations vigorously, and with the fullest exertion of the will, until I had completely stiffened the limbs of the slumberer, after placing them in aseemingly easy position." Poe's use of diction causes the reader to feel as though Valdemar is undergoing an unorthodox and cruel procedure. The phrase "continued the manipulations vigorously" seems as though P. has complete disregard for Valdemar's life, and he is only concerned with his experiment being successful. P leaves Valdemar, and at three in the morning he returns to Valdemar to see if the experiment was successful. 
Doctor D. and Doctor F. are both astonished that Valdemar is still living; however, Valdemar's symptoms are still pertinent. Poe describes the egregious process when Valdemar states, "Yes; -no; -I have been sleeping -and now -now -I am dead." In an attempt to save Valdemar, P's hypnotic experiment causes Valdemar to be in a state of mind where he is fully aware that he is dead, and consequently, he suffers a more horrific death. Valdemar makes it clear to P that he can no longer take the horrid treatment when he states, "For God's sake! -quick! -quick! -put me to sleep -or, quick! -waken me! -quick! -I say to you that I am dead!" Valdemar felt his body slipping away, and it was clear to him that there was not longer hope for him. The story concludes with Valdemar's body decomposing in P's hand into a "liquid mass of loathsome - of detestable - putridity. Poe paints a picture using the word putridity, a word that carries the connotation of something being rotten and foul. Due to the false idea that one can escape death, Valdemar experience a much more gruesome death. Instead of dying a natural way, Valdemar decomposed into a pile of liquid decay. If Valdemar were to just accept his fate, he would not have experienced such a horrific death where he was dead and decomposing, but he was still able to communicate. Poe's use of diction emphasizes his view on death and how it is something that is natural and shouldn't be avoided.

Poe utilizes diction to describe that death is an inevitable force, and if one attempts to avoid the clasps of mortality, there can be severe consequences. Poe stating that Valdemar's eyes are lusterless combined with both Doctor D. and Doctor F. stating that there is nothing left that they can do to help Valdemar hints at the fact that Valdemar should accept his fate. However, he flirts with the idea of escaping death, and as a result, he faces severe consequences. P. keeps Valdemar in the hypnotic state where Valdemar is aware of his fate, but there is nothing Valdemar can personally do to alter his state of mind and accept dying. Instead, both P. Valdemar hold onto a sense of false hope that death can be avoided. Hypnosis is an alternative and false state of mind, and through the metaphorical short story, Poe is alluding to the fact that hope for escaping death is also a false and impossible concept. "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar" is a story that deals with idea that there is hope for escaping death, however, Poe makes it clear to the reader that eventually everyone will die. Essentially Poe is saying that death is an impending factor, and if there is no possibility for escaping the looming forces of life, then why have the fictitious idea of hope in escaping death. Additionally, Poe's diction creates a realistic account where a doctor is narrating a story on a patient. The story is constructed in a manor where various scientific terms and detailed recordings permeate throughout the story, and as a result, the story is a great deal more suspenseful. In conclusion, while "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar" seems as though it is just dark, fictitious story on a science experiment gone wrong, there is an underlying message; Poe is attempting to communicate to the reader that death is an imminent factor and fearing death will cause greater hardship than to simply accept the realms of life. 


