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Miriam Glustein
Mr. Hayes
ENG3U6-D1
November 27, 2014
Out of Control: An Analysis of Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar”
(1884) and Rudyard Kipling’s “The Phantom Rickshaw” (1888)
The smooth running of society relies heavily on orderly, predictable, and controlled
behavior. Therefore, the loss of individual self-control threatens the foundations of society.
Edgar Allen Poe explored this concept in 1884. “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” tells the
tale of a dying man and his loss of self-control due to mesmerization. In 1888, Rudyard Kipling
also examined this phenomenon. His story “The Phantom Rickshaw” describes a man who loses
the love of his life when he is unable to stop a deceased lover from haunting him. While many
aspects of life can influence one’s ability to control his own actions, its loss is rarely beneficial to
anyone involved. In Edgar Allen Poe’s story “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” and
Rudyard Kipling’s story “The Phantom Rickshaw”, the loss of control over one’s actions leads to
detrimental consequences. This can be explained by examining the loss of self-control and the
realization of powerlessness, decreasing importance of humanity, and overlap of realms.
The realization of powerlessness resulting from lack of self-control is portrayed as fatally
harmful to life and well-being. In “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar,” the character M.
Valdemar suffers greatly from this awareness. Valdemar is being put into a mesmeric trance
when “a very deep sigh escaped from the bosom of the dying man, and the stertorious breathing
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ceased… the patient’s extremities were of an icy coldness” (5). This marks the moment when
Valdemar becomes fully mesmerized, thus losing control of his actions and handing this power
over to the narrator. Later, Valdemar begins to suffer from his lack of self-control. He realizes he
has no power to change his state, but says regardless, “For God’s sake!-quick!-quick!-put me to
sleep-or, quick!-waken me!-quick!” (10). Although he states his wishes clearly, the narrator
ignores them and tries to recompose him (10). These events show that he can no longer fulfill his
desires and is suffering because of this. He is clearly agitated and wants to be released from the
mesmeric state, but his anxiousness is disregarded. Once he recognizes that he can no longer
control his actions, Valdemar expresses his acceptance and desire for death. Valdemar says “Do
not wake me!- let me die so!” (6) when asked three times if he is asleep. Since he has lost selfcontrol, he is unable to fulfill his wish. Valdemar’s realization that he can no longer control his
actions leads to suffering through the denial of his desires, and, eventually, death. Thus, this
cycle of events shows readers how Valdemar’s loss of self-governance proves to be very harmful
for him.
In Rudyard Kipling’s “The Phantom Rickshaw,” the protagonist, Jack Pansay, also
suffers from the realization that he cannot control his actions. Pansay realizes that he can no
longer act in accordance with his desires when he loses his beloved fiancée, Kitty. Although she
is his true love, his lack of self-control results in “the cut of her riding-whip across my face from
mouth to eye, and a word or two of farewell” (13). This moment is when Pansay finally
acknowledges that, despite his best efforts, he cannot restrain himself to save the relationship he
most values. After realizing his situation, Pansay accepts that he will be haunted constantly by
Ms. Wessington. He says “by day I wandered with Ms. Wessington almost content,” and,
recognizing his death, also says that he “knew, moreover, that it was my destiny to die slowly
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and a little every day” (17). After this acceptance of his death, he loses interest in the activities of
the living. For example, Pansay refuses to send in an application for sick leave, telling Dr.
Heatherlegh that he “should await the end quietly at Simla” (17). Jack Pansay endures many of
the harms resulting from the ending of the illusion of self-control, including suffering and
acceptance of death.
Another detrimental consequence of the loss of self-governance is the reduction of
humanity. Edgar Allen Poe examines this concept in “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar”.
As the title character loses his ability to control his actions, he is seen as less human and treated
accordingly. His life begins to revolve around superficial scientific aspects rather than his
feelings and wishes. For example, M. Valdemar’s feelings are ignored when he becomes
mesmerized and loses his self-control. He tells the narrator “let me die so!” (6), a request which
is completely ignored. The narrator then describes the physical condition of the patient in detail.
He states, “his whole frame was agitated by a very slight shivering; the eyelids unclosed
themselves so far as to display a white line of a ball; the lips moved sluggishly” (6). By doing
this, the narrator is reducing Valdemar to a scientific case, ignoring his humanity and feelings.
Valdemar is viewed as a curious phenomenon, worthy of study, rather than a human being,
worthy of compassion. This ultimately causes alienation from society. Valdemar is kept in
isolation, almost as a secret from the outside world. He is monitored scientifically and checked
frequently for signs of life. Although his pulse still beats, he is not considered alive by other
members of society. Valdemar does not participate in societal activities and is presumed ‘as good
as dead’ by most people. He is thought of as a scientific phenomenon, not a human being.
Valdemar’s loss of humanity and separation from others is harmful to his life and well-being.
These consequences are a result of his loss of self-control.
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Lack of self-control also leads to a loss of humanity in Kipling’s “The Phantom
Rickshaw.” In this story, Jack Pansay’s mental and physical state are of great importance to his
loved ones and the citizens of Simla, but little else is deemed worthy of interest. Dr. Heatherlegh
asks him, “was it broken through D.T. or epileptic fits?”(14). He needs a method of explaining
Pansay’s behavior to the public. The true reason behind his conduct- supernatural forces
affecting his mind and emotions- is not scientific enough for his friends and community. They
merely want an explanation, rather than having to think about Pansay’s humanity. The people of
Simla view Pansay as a rare phenomenon that must be explained rather than a deeply troubled
person. No one asks about his feelings besides Heatherlegh. This demonstrates the separation of
Pansay from the rest of society. After he completely loses self-control, he is told “all Simla
knows about that scene on the Ladies’ Mile” (14). Once he tries to integrate himself back into
society he finds that “for the rest of my natural life I should be among but not of my fellows”
(15). Pansay has been alienated from his town and community. He has been designated as one
who cannot control himself, and is therefore not to be included in civilization. Pansay loses his
humanity and connection to society as a result of his inability to control his own actions.
A final harm that occurs due to a loss of self-control involves the overlap of realms. Life,
death, and the third realm of the supernatural are usually kept separate. However, when a man
loses his ability to control his own actions, these worlds often merge. Supernatural forces
infringe upon the character’s reality. In “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar”, mesmerization
brings M. Valdemar into the third realm. He begins to be mesmerized when the narrator
“commenced the passes…he was evidently influenced”(4). Later, the narrator gains complete
control of Valdemar’s arm, reporting “his arm very readily, although feebly, followed every
direction I assigned it with mine”(6). At this point, part of Valdemar is under control of
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mesmerization, a supernatural force in the third realm. In addition to participating in the third
realm, Valdemar is present in both the world of the living and the dead. While scientifically his
heart is beating and his voice is heard, he is not able to participate in any aspects of life, putting
his mind in the world of the dead. He even believes he is in that realm, stating “now-now-I am
dead” (8). This overlap of worlds eventually leads to his death. His body is in the living world,
he is controlled by the third realm, and his mind and thoughts are in the world of the dead. He
soon dies after he loses his self-control. As Poe writes, “His whole frame at once…absolutely
rotted away beneath my hands”(10). Valdemar’s death is partially caused by his separation
between the realms, which results from his inability to control his actions.
The three realms also blend together in Kipling’s “The Phantom Rickshaw” after the
main character loses self-control. The supernatural force that causes Jack Pansay to become
powerless over his actions is the existence of ghosts. He is unable to control his behavior when
he sees Mrs. Wessington’s ghost, so his control remains in the third realm. His mind is usually in
the world of the dead. Pansay states, “I torture myself nightly with a thousand speculations as to
the manner of my death”(17). He also describes his awareness of imminent death (17). However,
Pansay’s body is still in the world of the living. He is breathing and wandering around Simla.
Although he is haunted by ghosts in the third realm and fears the dead world, Pansay is still
present in the living world. His division between these realms ultimately causes him suffering
since he cannot properly function in any one universe. Pansay’s quality of life is diminished due
to his loss of self-control.
The loss of self-control leads to negative effects in both “The Facts in the Case of M.
Valdemar” by Edgar Allen Poe and “The Phantom Rickshaw” by Rudyard Kipling. Today’s
society gives little importance to supernatural powers. However, there are still many other
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situations where people lose self-control, such as mental health issues. While sometimes these
illnesses are minor, other kinds can severely harm a person’s ability to fulfill their desires,
express their feelings, and separate reality from other realms. These emotional disorders often
have devastating consequences for those with mental illnesses and their friends and families.
This issue currently affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide. In a sense, mental
illnesses are the modern version of supernatural forces since they can remove the ability of a
person to control his or her actions and little can be done to prevent them. They may also cause
acceptance or even desire for death. However, for the time being, mental health destroys millions
of lives. With this loss of self-governance, behavior is not orderly and predictable. Thus the
efforts of governments to help the mentally ill are merited since loss of self-control threatens the
foundations of society and its ability to function effectively, as depicted over a century ago in
Poe and Kipling’s stories.