2. What do the different things in the story represent? (Prince Prospero, the ebony clock, the red death)

1. **Prince Prospero** - \( \textbf{Symbol of False Security and Arrogance} \) Prince Prospero represents the ruling class’s belief that they can sequester themselves from the calamities that plague the common people. His ostentatious attempt to shut out the suffering of the outside world is an embodiment of hubris—thinking that wealth and power grant immunity from fate. 2. **The Ebony Clock** - \( \textbf{Reminder of the Inevitable Passage of Time and Death} \) The ebony clock stands as a persistent, unavoidable reminder that time marches on. Every toll reinforces the inevitable approach of death, disrupting the revelry and symbolizing that no amount of defiant celebration can stave off the relentless progression of time toward demise. 3. **The Red Death** - \( \textbf{Embodiment of Death and the Inescapable Nature of Fate} \) The Red Death is not merely a physical plague but a multifaceted symbol of mortality itself. It represents the universal inevitability of death, showing that the calamities of life—and ultimately death—cannot be bypassed by wealth, status, or isolated shelter. The eventual intrusion of the Red Death into the abbey underscores the theme that all human efforts to escape destiny are ultimately futile.