The Pit and the Pendulum Quote

"And now, flatter and flatter grew the lozenge, with a rapidity that left me no time for contemplation. Its centre, and of course, its greatest width, came just over the yawning gulf. I shrank back - but the closing walls pressed me resistlessly onward." - The Pit and the Pendulum

After successfully escaping the gruesome "pit and the pendulum", the narrator is soon to be found in an even deadlier trap. The final torture device used on the protagonist is a choice: either be flattened by the closing walls, or fall to eventual death by jumping in the rat infested pit. However, probably the hardest part in his task is making the decision in a matter of seconds. Although the short story contains a variety of suspense conventions, this may be the most prominent. The "ticking clock" adds the ultimate pressure on the protagonist and thus increases the suspense. Anticipating the future decision and outcome of events, the reader is now intrigued by their curiosity of his fate, and the fear of his demise.