The Pit and the Pendulum

In Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Pit and the Pendulum,' an unnamed narrator faces the horrors of the Spanish Inquisition.

Imprisoned in a dark cell, he confronts a series of psychological and physical torments.

He narrowly avoids falling into a deep pit and then endures the slow descent of a razor-sharp pendulum.

As the pendulum threatens to slice him open, he uses rats to gnaw through his bindings and escape.

Just as the walls of the cell begin to close in, he is saved by the arrival of the French army.

The story explores themes of fear, despair, and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of death.