Refer to explorations in literature for a complete version of this story. read this excerpt from “the pit and the pendulum” by edgar allan poe. at length, with a wild desperation at heart, i quickly unclosed my eyes. my worst thoughts, then, were confirmed. the blackness of eternal night encompassed me. i struggled for breath. the intensity of the darkness seemed to oppress and stifle me. how does the first-person point of view most affect the meaning of the text? it shows the narrator to be unflappable and strong despite the danger, and it forces the reader to admire him. it explains exactly how the narrator feels about the pitch dark, and it allows the reader to share that fear. it demonstrates the narrator's confusion over the reality of his situation and suggests to the reader that the narrator is unreliable. it provides insight into the narrator’s deep fear of the dark and shows his great capacity to overcome that fear.