I remember a story by Edgar Allen Poe titled “The Masque of the Red Death” which is set in a time of a deadly epidemic. A prince, Prospero by name, escapes it by walling himself and all his aristocratic friends off in his palace, safe from the plague, which continues to ravage the land outside. In their refuge, the aristocrats entertain themselves with a masked ball, while the unfortunate peasants are dying off in great numbers. Unfortunately for them, the Red Death in the guise of one of the guests, gets into the celebration and infects them all.
Allegorical as it was when written, the story is almost equally so today. We may conquer our current pandemic in this country, but as long as we let it exist in poorer nations, we can never be safe.
Under current conditions, the parallel is not perfect. By failing to cooperate we have not ended the disease in this country, and it is still among us.
The allegory would be more appropriate to the present if Prospero had thrown open the gate to his palace and announced “Come on in everybody and join the party!”
Charles DeBruler
Everett
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
