An excess amount of material wealth can be blinding, as, oftentimes, it drives individuals to think that they are existentially above others, based simply on what they have in the bank. These people, who live under such luxurious conditions, may, in turn, adopt a sort of god-complex, pushing them to believe that their riches will aid in their evasion of death, and even in their eventual procurement of immortality. However, “the great unifier,” as death has often been referred to as, seeks no such exchange and forgoes no person, regardless of what he or she may be monetarily worth. In the short story, The Masque of the Red Death, this type of narrow-minded thinking is illustrated, as a foolish prince, Prospero, attempts to outsmart death by isolating himself in his castle, from the outside world, as a horrendous disease, termed “Red Death,” wreaks havoc on his country’s inhabitants, resulting in the deaths of thousands everywhere. The prince, as his title implies, has access to such superior amenities, such as the secluded castle, that a majority of his subjects do not, allowing him a greater chance at survival, thus contributing to this ever-growing discrepancy between fantasy and reality that spans the entirety of the piece. This gap can be seen as the key catalyst that causes the prince to grossly underestimate the disease’s influence as well as overestimate his own earthly strength. Here, the concepts of isolation and idealism work together to fuel the prince’s plight to stay alive, as they each provide him with adequate reasoning as to why his political power and financial might, in combination, are enough to make him indomitable. Even though, ironically, in the end, it becomes clear that the Red Death is unaffected by such superficiality, as the prince, the physical embodiment of prosperity in the piece, falls victim to the ailment’s effects.

After reading the short story, the prince’s goal becomes quite obvious: to outlast the disease no matter what. In the beginning of the story, he outlines his plan to lock himself in his perceived formidable palace, alongside hundreds of his closest friends, under the sole condition that they all agree to keep the doors shut and locked at all times. In taking this precaution, he is inadvertently recognizing his fallibility, though, to his guests, he refuses to admit that any danger looms outside the palace’s walls. This concept of isolation is central to the work, as it drives the plotline and allows the prince with the means necessary to stay hopeful throughout the entirety of the retreat. Without physically removing himself from the situation, the prince would have had little choice but to accept his unfortunate fate as well as admit to his humiliating mortality. By removing himself from everyday life, by distancing himself from the masses, he is able to create a type of alternate reality that aids in the denial of his humanizing qualities. However, in denying these distinctive qualities and refusing to accept his impending demise, the prince creates a rather parallel, yet hostile environment that encourages the formation of a scapegoat, a way to displace and redirect the blame. In essence, Prospero’s refusal to accept his inevitable fate creates this vacuum, suitable for a bystander, an outside and unrelated figure, to be blamed for the unfairness of the situation, the unfairness of the unifying fact that all people, eventually, die. According to the scholarly article, Isolation: A Concept Analysis, the manifestation of such a character is not wholly unrealistic, as people struggle with elongated periods of isolation from the outside world. The article goes into great detail on the differences between isolation as a mundane vocabulary word and isolation as a concept that impacts the human psyche. Throughout the piece, the term is characterized in a rather negative way, as isolation is rarely beneficial, when it comes to the enhancement of developmental behaviors. In fact, the authors of the article even assert that isolation has been known to cause  “individual[s] [to] experience a reduction in the level of normal sensory and social input” (Gilmartin). Therefore, it would not be unrealistic to reason that the unwelcomed visitor, whom the guests blame for bringing the disease into the party, is no more than a mere figment of the party-goers’ imaginations, as, according to the study, isolation can cause people to lose sense of reality. Thus, the guests could have needed this unforeseen party-crasher in order to, effectively, “swallow” the fact that their time has come. In essence, the people may have personified the entrance of the disease so that they could better come to terms with their deaths, as none of them were expecting to be killed by an outside force.

In the short story, the people of the party represent naivety, innocence, as they firmly believe that the prince has all things under control, as seen in their enthusiasm to join in on his isolation, whereas the prince, in contrast, represents what comes of the disturbance of this naivety, as he is outright scared of the imposter, for he knows of what malevolent intentions the monster houses. This argument, in a way, goes against the age-old saying that ignorance is bliss. If the prince had simply warned the people that, at any moment, the disease could potentially penetrate the palace’s walls, or, at the very least, that they are all susceptible to death, that they are all mortal, rather than pretending as though life, for anyone, is ceaseless, then perhaps they would have all faired better, as they would have, presumably, taken the situation more seriously. People crave human interaction as well as group-approval, as “social contact has long been recognized as a fundamental need for humans” (Gilmartin). Therefore, it is understandable why the people in the piece would all choose to go along with the blaming of an unrelated figure, regardless of whether or not that figure is truly there. Society teaches people that sharing an enemy is a superb tactic to gaining this approval from others, as, evolutionarily, humans have found that hunting in a pack, per say, is, generally, much easier as well as more effective than going off on one’s own. So, this level of isolation could have pushed even those who have come to accept their own personal fates into simply siding with their neighbors’ convoluted beliefs. In summation, from a mere scientific standpoint, the concept of isolation plays a large role in filling in any voids in the story, as the medical usage of the term provides an entirely different standpoint on how the ailment ever actually entered the gates of the castle. As, in this discussion, the only explanation required is that the people were simply losing their minds. Therefore, understanding the theme of isolation is important in fully grasping the piece, as it aids in explaining the source of the peoples’ possible delusion, that can be seen in the random arrival of a fugitive half way through the piece, when all the doors were marked as being shut.

Perhaps, then, the people chose to believe the disease was carried in by another person for the simple reason that they were unable to accept the fact that they let the disease in and, therefore, aided in the execution of hundreds of innocent people. Perhaps the prince’s friends were unable to fathom that they had made such a catastrophic mistake and were subliminally forced to justify it, using an unnatural occurrence. While isolation might have caused them to lose some part of their minds, as they were separated from the rest of the world for a fairly lengthy period of time, the idea of idealism allowed them to accredit the massacre to a single enemy that they could all rally under. In Sepety’s article, The Concepts Of Mind And Matter In The Context Of The Mind-Body Problem, a detailed analysis is provided, regarding the brain’s relative power in obscuring scenarios to suit an individual’s preference. Therefore, in this piece, any form of fantasy or any alternate dimension is simply the work of one’s mind, as it can be easily manipulated. The “concept of [the] mind as a personal realm of subjectivity” describes how people are able to ignore any external troubles that might exist and, oddly, act as though they do not (Sepety). In essence, the prince’s creation of this idealistic state reflects his tendency to avoid reality, to avoid problems. Poe purposefully named his protagonist “Prospero” in an effort to juxtapose his true persona. The prince may have temporarily prospered inside of the castle, while the people of the outside world were forced to suffer alone, and in silence, however his prosperity was short lived and imagined. The concept of idealism is important in the story because it highlights the human tendency to avoid facing what is to come, driving home the idea that flaws span social classes and that all people are susceptible to such humanizing qualities. In essence, all people are susceptible to giving into any temptation that distracts them from what malevolence is at hand as well as death, as no one, regardless of social class, can live forever, thus, material wealth is of little use in the grand scheme of things.

 Idealism allows the prince and his guests to believe that they can escape the disease and, largely, death by delighting in popular vices, such as drinking, dancing, and sex, as they believe such benefits separate them from the commoners and provide them with a greater potential of gaining immortality. They create an alternate reality within the realm of the castle, within their own heads, while the peasants of the outside world are forced to face the cruel symptoms of the Red Death alone and without the help of a ruler. This sense of idealism spans a great deal of Poe’s pieces, as he was, ironically, a well-known realist himself. In depicting the negative effects of this never-ending partying, he is indirectly showing the world of what can come of such widespread and reckless abandon. The prince purposely sets up rooms in the ball, with various coloring and décor, to help push his guests to fully embrace this false reality. In contrast, the set-up of a black room with a black clock and red-stained glass represents the prince’s acknowledgement of the disease as well as his eventual return to reality, to his death. In David Heddenhorf’s article, that analyzes the various works of Emerson, with a focus on the concepts of idealism and transcendentalism, he ascertains that reality is whatever it is perceived to be by the individual: “it depends on the mood of the man, whether he shall seethe fine poem. There are always sunsets, and there is always genius; but only a few hours can relish nature or criticism” (Heddenhorf). Therefore, one could live only in their own head and their reality, while perhaps different than another individual’s, would have to be accredited as being legitimate, since they came to that conclusion on their own. Heddenhorf goes on to explain the importance of allowing people the time and space to form their own individual opinions as well as the detriment that can come from grouping people or classifying them, as, typically, people attempt to label Emerson, which only hurts his overarching claim that originality is up to the person who has enough strength to go against the constantly changing waves of society and formulate his or her own opinions.
