In the trial of the pendulum, even choosing the unconscious at any point in the torture does not grant the hero a moments respite from the hyper-awareness of death. In fact, the pendulum is thought to have waited for him to awaken before resuming. Here, death is still inescapable whether or not youre asleep, but will wait for you to notice its presence before coming any closer. The effort to look away does not blind you from its slicing sound, or its perfect metallic smell, or from imagining it cut through layers upon layers of first clothing then flesh. The torture is in the anticipation of this fate, not the fate itself. Whereas walking about the pit, death could come at any moment and it would be a surprise. Here, death is coming and the moment of its arrival is already determined by the mechanics of the device and the willingness of the hero to accept it.
Posted on: Tue, 22 Oct 2013 03:59:54 +0000
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