Metaphors to Heighten Terror: Through various metaphors, Poe heightens the terrifying nature of the narrator’s torment. Phrases like “subterranean world of darkness” and “charnel” house liken the pit to hell, as the narrator associates his surroundings with infernal, deadly conditions. Another noteworthy metaphor Poe mentions is how the pendulum screams like “a damned spirit” and moves with the “stealthy pace of the tiger.” Both metaphors add to the violence of the pendulum as it comes hurtling towards the narrator with tiger-like prowess.
"with the shriek of a damned spirit; to my heart with the stealthy pace of the tiger!..."See in text(The Pit and the Pendulum)
These metaphors imprint two images into readers’ minds: first, the sound of the pendulum is the “shriek of a damned spirit”; second, the movement of the pendulum is the “stealthy pace of the tiger.” Both metaphors highlight the terrifying nature of the pendulum as it violently, savagely howls through the air while also displaying accuracy and prowess.
A “charnel,” or “charnel house” is a building in which dead bodies and bones are placed. Here, the narrator metaphorically likens his surroundings, including the “metallic enclosure” of the pit, to the monastic charnel houses which emtomb the dead. To the narrator, the pit is akin to his final resting place.
"seemed white and slender angels who would save me..."See in text(The Pit and the Pendulum)
Contrasted against the darkness that pervades much of the imagery in this first paragraph, the seven candles—a number which signifies completeness in literary and biblical texts—stand out starkly. The white candles which Poe metaphorically likens to “slender angels,” provide the narrator and reader with a sense of hope and wholeness in spite of the chaos surrounding him.
