Throughout the story, the narrator struggles with a fear of death. His condition of catalepsy, which is the fear of being buried alive—being aware while smothered by darkness and impending death with no possibility of escape—functions as a metaphor for the human condition and the inevitable encounter with death. The narrator’s obsession with death manifests in symptoms that deeply disturb his everyday life, illustrating the importance of Conquering Fear or Else Succumbing to It. Too much dreaming about death has created a shadowy veil of gray over his life; he no longer exercises, and he fears leaving his home for any reason. Yet he even views his home as unsafe, and remodeling the family vault and securing oaths from his closest friends does little to assuage his fears and obsessions.

By avoiding everyday activities, obsessing in detail over accounts of premature burials, preparing his family vault for his own death, and often falling into unconscious trances that sometimes last several months, the narrator is not really living at all. At the very least, he does not lead a fulfilling life. The narrator’s name is never revealed; he simply functions as a vehicle for rationalizing and heightening a fear of premature burial.