We gather in a cesspool of death to await our ultimate judgment. Everyone has their own belief or idea about the afterlife hypothesis, but no one knows the legitimacy of these theories. This is why the majority of people are petrified of dying, because the horror of the unknown scares everyone. However, with this in mind, many authors have included literary works on the death of man throughout history. Although these two writings share a common theme, their depiction and other symbolic references show their differences throughout their writings. The boundaries that separate life and death are obscure and vague at best (Poe, 2011). American novelist, poet, editor and critic Edgar Allen Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts on January 19, 1809. Although both his parents died prematurely during his life, he was able to obtain an education after being taken in by his adoptive parents John and Francis Allan. Later in his life, Poe attempted to make a living doing various essays, writing poems, essays, and stories. Poe wrote The Mask of the Red Mask in 1842 for Graham's Magazine (Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing, 2011). The Mask of the Red Mask is an allegorical representation of human existence and its disappearance. The helplessness of humans, unable to escape death, is another concept presented throughout this literary work. “Prince Prospero was happy, intrepid and sagacious. When his domains were half depopulated, he summoned to his presence a thousand healthy and light friends from among the knights and ladies of his court, and retired with them to the deep retreat of one of his crenellated abbeys” (Poe E., 2011, p. 234). This narration...... middle of paper ......ure conveyed a theory of life and death even though they did not share the same ideas throughout their writings. Works CitedFaulkner, W. (2011). A rose for Emily. In Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing (pp. 75-81). Upper Saddle River: Pearson College Division. Faulkner, W. (2011). Quotes from William Faulkner. Retrieved February 22, 2011, from Famous Quotes on BrainyQuote: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/w/william_faulkner.htmlLiterature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. (2011). Upper Saddle River: Poe Division of Pearson College, EA (2011). The borders that divide Life. Retrieved February 22, 2011 from Famous Quotes on BrainyQuote: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/e/edgarallan403422.htmlPoe, E. (2011). The Mask of the Red Death. In Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing (pp. 233-237). Upper Saddle River: Pearson College Division.