Read the selection below from the short story “The Pit and the Pendulum” by Edgar Allan Poe and use your knowledge of the story to answer the question that follows. Down—steadily down it crept. I took a frenzied pleasure in contrasting its downward with its lateral velocity. To the right—to the left—far and wide—with the shriek of a damned spirit! to my heart with the stealthy pace of the tiger! I alternately laughed and howled, as the one or the other idea grew predominant. Which aspect of psychological suspense dominates the passage?
A
plot developed through fantasyB
plain and simple writing styleC
heroic, admirable protagonistsThe narrator describes reacting to the pendulum with frantic, unstable behavior: he alternately laughs and howls as his thoughts shift. This focus on the narrator’s mental turmoil and loss of control shows that the passage emphasizes madness.
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