As the plot of this story unfolds, Prince Prospero brings himself and a thousand of his courtiers into a seemingly secure castle that is lavishly decorated. They close themselves off from the rest of their society, which is suffering from the ravages of the Red Death. Instead of trying to solve the problem of the plague, they pretend it doesn't exist. They pretend it can't touch them. Instead of facing the facts, they dance and party and try to enjoy life in a world of luxury.
In this story, Poe shows that trying to wall oneself off from a serious problem literally plaguing the rest of society is an exercise in futility. Trying to avoid a conflict doesn't work. Trying to avoid thinking about the possibility of death does nothing to prevent death.
Naturally, Death infiltrates their haven. Poe's point is that you can't run away from problems, because eventually they catch up with you.
The main conflict in Poe's classic short story "The Masque of the Red Death" involves Prince Prospero's attempts to survive the "Red Death," which is a deadly pestilence sweeping through the countryside and decimating the population. In order to avoid the deadly plague, Prince Prospero and a thousand of his closest aristocratic friends barricade themselves in the massive walls of his magnificent abbey with provisions that will last them for months. Inside the walls of his abbey, Prince Prospero and his guests enjoy themselves, and he holds a masquerade for everyone to celebrate surviving the pestilence. However, the literal personification of the "Red Death" appears during the masquerade and kills everyone, including Prince Prospero, inside the well-protected abbey. The overarching message of Poe's classic short story is that no one can escape their morality or avoid death, regardless of their wealth, social status, or power.
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