Post #3 Ghost Ship, Pym's Change

On pages 100-104 Poe uses language in order to paint this intense picture of this "ghost dead ship". The words he chose add to the morbid appearance of the people aboard the ship coming their way adds intense drama. At first the ship was a lifeline, but once it arrived near them they saw it was a death trap. One of the most compelling sentences I felt was, "Of a sudden, and all at once, there came wafted over the ocean from the strange vessel a smell, a stench, such as the while world has no name for--no conception of--hellish--utterly suffocating-- insufferable, inconceivable" (101). The language in this quote just allows the reader to be right next to Pym during this situation. In reading this section the reader can almost smell the death radiating from the boat as well as visualize the tearing of skin from bodies. We as readers almost become fearful not for Poe but for ourselves as readers during this section. Poe does an excellent job of connecting the reader to his characters with his language.

As well as Poe's excellent use of language to engage the reader, his use of character development helps the reader grow a close bond with the characters. In this case, Pym has a large change from the beginning of the novel to now. Pym in the beginning seemed as if he was easily swayed to be talked into things. He felt like a weak character. For example, when Augustus wants to take out the boat when he is drunk, Pym is overcome with the excitement of Augustus that he wasn't not thinking clearly. Pym states, "I can hardly tell what possessed me, but the words were no sooner out of his mouth than I felt a thrill of the greatest excitement and pleasure, and thought his mad idea one of the most delightful and most reasonable things in the world"(8). Pym knew this was a bad idea but he was easily swayed to participate with Augustus due to his weak personality. As the story progresses we see Pym becoming more of a leader. He exhausts himself to try and get into the stateroom to acquire food (109). He even sees a change in the others for the worst that he was not expecting. He says, "Their countenances ere totally changed in character, so that i could not bring myself to believe them really the same individuals with whom I had been in company but a few days before" (109). As Pym becomes stronger he loses faith in Augustus and the other men on board because he seems them becoming weak. Pym gaining strength personally adds to our interest in him.