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Why is the narrator imprisoned by the Inquisition?
The narrator never explains exactly why the Inquisition has targeted him, but rather focuses on his emotions and feelings. The lack of explicit reason emphasizes the senseless cruelty of the inquisitors’ torture. However, given the narrator’s reference to a galvanic battery, which relates to recent scientific advancements with electricity and stands as a symbol of Enlightenment ideals, we can surmise that the narrator may have espoused Enlightenment philosophy. In this reading, the narrator serves as an avatar of rationality, reason, and progress against the Inquisition’s superstitious barbarism.
Why does the narrator fear the pit more than the pendulum?
The narrator fears the pit for two reasons. First, he has heard rumors that the pit is only a prelude to a long, slow death. Second, the pit is metaphorically portrayed as hell, meaning the narrator fears hell above all else. In addition to the religious implications of hating hell, another aspect of his fear is that in attempting to force the narrator into the pit, the Inquisition is attempting to get him to damn himself by falling into hell, as if to admit that he belongs there. The narrator resists the pit because he doesn’t think his beliefs are actually blasphemous.
Why does the chamber appear different when the narrator wakes up after falling near the pit?
At first, the narrator believes that the only true difference in the prison since his passing out is that he now has light to see by. He assumes that, in his fear and weakness, he miscalculated the size and shape of the chamber in the darkness. However, we later realize that the Inquisition has placed false walls within the original chamber, making it smaller and square-shaped. These false walls force move inward, the narrator closer to the pit.
Why does the narrator put meat on the straps?
The narrator covers the straps with the remnant of the oily meat to convince the rats to chew through the straps and free him so he can escape the pendulum. He notices that the rats appear ravenous and wisely intuits that they would chew anything if it smelled of food. Fortunately for him, the rats take the bait, and because the straps are only on his extremities, he risks bites only to his arms and legs.
How do the monks attempt to force the narrator into the pit?
The monks heat the fake metal walls of the pit, meaning the narrator must avoid touching them. At the same time, they push the fake walls closer together, pressing the narrator towards the pit. Thus, to avoid the pit, he must stay as close as he can to the walls, even though they can burn him. However, as the walls keep coming closer, he will eventually fall into the pit.
