Spinning Top, Part Two

Welcome to Celebrate Poe - episode 234 - Spinning Tops, Part Two

In this episode, Celebrate Poe continues its examination of some of Poe’s works against the background of Christopher Nolan’s movie - Inception.

First, it is important to remember that many of Poe's tales are narrated by characters with questionable sanity or motives. Stories like "The Tell-Tale Heart" leave readers unsure of what truly happened or if the narrator's perception can be trusted. For example the first three paragraphs of The Tell Tale introduce a narrator who may or may not be reliable. But he continues - and Would YOU trust someone who calmly says to you, “I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth?”

TRUE!—NERVOUS—VERY, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses—not destroyed—not dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthily—how calmly I can tell you the whole story.

It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain; but once conceived, it haunted me day and night. Object there was none. Passion there was none. I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire. I think it was his eye! yes, it was this! He had the eye of a vulture—a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees—very gradually—I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever.

Now this is the point. You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded—with what caution—with what foresight—with what dissimulation I went to work! I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him. And every night, about midnight, I turned the latch of his door and opened it—oh so gently! And then, when I had made an opening sufficient for my head, I put in a dark lantern, all closed, closed, that no light shone out, and then I thrust in my head. Oh, you would have laughed to see how cunningly I thrust it in! I moved it slowly—very, very slowly, so that I might not disturb the old man's sleep. It took me an hour to place my whole head within the opening so far that I could see him as he lay upon his bed. Ha! would a madman have been so wise as this, And then, when my head was well in the room, I undid the lantern cautiously—oh, so cautiously—cautiously (for the hinges creaked)—I undid it just so much that a single thin ray fell upon the vulture eye. And this I did for seven long nights—every night just at midnight—but I found the eye always closed; and so it was impossible to do the work; for it was not the old man who vexed me, but his Evil Eye. And every morning, when the day broke, I went boldly into the chamber, and spoke courageously to him, calling him by name in a hearty tone, and inquiring how he has passed the night. So you see he would have been a very profound old man, indeed, to suspect that every night, just at twelve, I looked in upon him while he slept.

Inception achieves a similar effect by keeping the audience guessing about the final scene - a scene that simply shows a spinning top. The spinning top continues to wobble, leaving us to question if Dom Cobb is finally free from the dream world or trapped in an illusion.

Now a frequent theme in Poe's work is the difficulty of distinguishing between dreams and waking life. We see this in "A Dream Within a Dream," where the speaker constantly questions his or her state of being. Inception injects this uncertainty into the narrative by employing dream layers and characters who themselves struggle to differentiate dream from reality. The ambiguous ending pushes this theme even further, leaving the audience questioning everything they've witnessed.

Poe's works to create doubt and uncertainty in the viewer's mind, mirroring his unreliable narrators and blurring the lines between dream and reality.

In stories like "The Tell-Tale Heart," Poe uses a first-person narrator whose unreliability is gradually revealed. You probably don’t view the narrator as unreliable in the first sentence - generally it is human nature to give someone the benefit of the doubt - at least at first.

Now jumping over to Inception, there is a great scene where Cobb walks through a hallway where the stairs constantly fold in on themselves - definitely creating a sense of disorientation. We see this scene from Cobb's perspective, raising questions about his mental state and whether he's entirely in control of his dreams.

Poe often employs disorienting imagery and dream-like settings to unsettle the reader. In Inception, the scene where Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) fights through a hotel hallway environment - making it difficult to distinguish dream logic from the real world, again mirroring Poe's unsettling imagery.

And Poe's stories often explore the complexities of memory and perception. In Inception, the device used to plant ideas within the dream target's subconscious is called the Mnemosyne, referencing the Greek goddess of memory. The film emphasizes the power of memory in shaping reality. The audience is left questioning how much of what they see is real and how much is a manipulated memory.

In Poe’s works, many of his characters are haunted by past traumas and unresolved issues. In Inception, the recurring appearances of Cobb's deceased wife Mal within the dream world raise questions about whether she's a figment of his subconscious or a malevolent force. This ambiguity echoes Poe's exploration of characters struggling with their own psyches.

At the end of Inception, the film cuts to the closing credits from a shot of a spinning top apparently starting to show an ever so faint wobble, inviting speculation about whether the final sequence was reality or another dream. Nolan confirmed that the ambiguity was deliberate, saying, "I've been asked the question more times than I've ever been asked any other question about any other film I've made... What's funny to me is that people really do expect me to answer it.” It is said that the film's script concludes with "Behind him, on the table, the spinning top is STILL SPINNING. And we—FADE OUT".Nolan was to later say, "I put that cut there at the end, imposing an ambiguity from outside the film. That always felt like the right ending to me—it always felt like the appropriate 'kick' to me... The real point of the scene—and this is what I tell people—is that the character of Cobb isn't looking at the top. He's looking at reality - his kids. He's left it behind. That's the emotional significance of the thing."

With Poe, many of his endings often leave the reader with a sense of unease and even lingering doubt. In Inception, the film's ambiguous ending, where the spinning top continues to wobble, leaves the audience questioning if Cobb is finally free from the dream world. This unresolved conclusion mirrors Poe's stories where the true nature of reality remains uncertain.

Inception also portrays Kairos time, the concept of subjective, non-linear time perception, in several ways.

For example, we know that dreams are often influenced by emotions. In Inception, characters experience time differently depending on their emotional state. Fear can stretch out moments, while calmness can condense time. This highlights how subjective our perception of time can be, a core aspect of Kairos - a characteristic that is sometimes forgotten.

Inception also utilizes multiple dream layers, each with its own internal time flow. Characters can jump between dream layers where time might be progressing faster or slower. This fragmented structure disrupts the linear flow of Chronos time and reflects the way dreams can feel disjointed and non-sequential.

Within the dream world, characters can lose track of time due to the unreliability of their senses. Objects can change shape, environments can shift, and the passage of time can become distorted. This reinforces the idea that Kairos time is based on individual experience rather than objective measurement.

Characters within the dream world often have no control over the passage of time. They can be trapped in situations where time seems to stretch endlessly or be rushed into making decisions under pressure. This loss of control emphasizes the subjective nature of time perception in dreams.

At the risk of sounding redundant, it is important to remember that Inception uses Chronos time (linear, measurable time) as a counterpoint to Kairos. The "kick" that jolts characters awake establishes a ticking clock within the dream world. This creates a sense of urgency and reminds the audience that objective time still exists outside the dream.

Edgar Allan Poe's poem "A Dream Within a Dream" explores the uncertainty of reality and the blurring of dream and waking life. Inception connects to this theme by portraying Kairos time as a reflection of the characters' subjective experience within the dream world. Just as the speaker in Poe's poem questions whether existence is real, Inception forces the audience to question the characters' perception of time and reality.

MUSICAL INTERLUDE. - Suspense

Now while the movie Inception definitely builds suspense, it doesn't fully embrace the psychological horror often found in Poe's stories.

But Inception utilizes unseen forces and dream manipulation in several ways to create suspense, mystery, and a sense of danger within the dream world. For example, the film establishes a technology that allows characters to enter and manipulate dreams. This unseen force, represented by the device and the process itself, acts as a catalyst for the entire plot. It even creates a sense of wonder and unease, as the audience witnesses the violation of the subconscious mind.

Within the dream world, characters can encounter projections of their subconscious fears and anxieties. These projections can take various forms, from menacing figures to dangerous environments. They are unseen forces in the sense that their true nature is hidden within the dreamer's mind. Their appearance creates a sense of unease and reflects the emotional turmoil of the dreamer.

The film introduces the concept of Limbo, a dangerous state beyond the dream world. While not explicitly shown, Limbo is an unseen force that poses a significant threat to characters who get trapped there. The fear of Limbo adds another layer of danger and motivates characters to complete their missions within the dream world.

And then of course, there is the character of Cobb’s deceased wife, Mal. She manifests within Cobb’s dreams as a powerful and potentially malevolent force. Her motives and true nature remain ambiguous. She serves as an unseen force that disrupts Cobb's missions and represents his unresolved emotional baggage.

The film also emphasizes the power of suggestion within the dream world. Characters can be manipulated by planting ideas in their subconscious. This unseen force adds another layer of danger, as characters can be tricked or controlled without realizing it.

The use of unseen forces and dream manipulation in Inception also contributes to the film.

By keeping the true nature of these forces hidden, the film builds suspense. The audience is constantly wondering what threats the characters might face within the dream world.

And unseen forces often represent the characters' inner struggles and anxieties. This adds a layer of psychological depth to the film and allows for exploration of the subconscious mind.

The use of dream manipulation raises questions about morality and the boundaries of technology. Is it okay to invade someone's dreams and manipulate their thoughts?

Noe by incorporating these unseen elements, Inception creates a thrilling antd thought-provoking exploration of dreams, the subconscious, and the potential dangers of manipulating them. In a similar fashion, the use of unseen forces are used by Poe to express such themes as the unknown, and the dark side of the human psyche.

Inception also utilizes several recurring motifs that reinforce the film's themes and create a sense of cohesion within the complex dream world.

The recurring motifs of labyrinths and mazes symbolize the characters' journey through the layered dream worlds. Navigating these complex structures reflects the challenges of navigating the subconscious mind and the difficulty of finding truth within dreams. This motif connects to Poe's exploration of psychological labyrinths and even the unreliable nature of perception.
Mirrors and reflections appear frequently throughout the film, often shattering or distorting reality. They symbolize the characters' fractured psyches and the elusiveness of truth within the dreamscape. This connects to Poe's use of mirrors in such stories like "Ligeia" to explore themes of identity and duality.

Cobb's spinning top in Inception serves as a totem, an object used to distinguish between the dream world and reality. However, the top's ability to wobble even in the real world creates doubt and ambiguity. It becomes a motif for the unreliability of perception and the difficulty of knowing what is truly real. This ties into Poe's exploration of doubt and uncertainty in works like "The Tell-Tale Heart.”

The concept of a fortress appears within the dreamscape, representing Cobb's desire to protect himself from his emotional baggage (often symbolized by his deceased wife Mal). This motif reflects the characters' struggle to maintain control within the dream world and the fragility of their constructed realities.

Water imagery is another motif used throughout the film, often appearing in chaotic or threatening forms. Oceans, waves, and flooding represent the subconscious mind's emotional depths and the potential dangers hidden within. This motif reflects the characters' struggle to maintain control within the dream world and the fragility of their constructed realities. This motif connects to Poe's use of water as a symbol of fear and the unknown in stories like "The Fall of the House of Usher” or Annabel Lee - a poem that is set against a background of water - I would like to conclude this episode with Edgar Poe’s Annabel Lee - a poem that utilizes such symbols as water, a deceased love, and the sounds of the sea.

Annabel Lee
BY EDGAR ALLAN POE

It was many and many a year ago,
   In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
   By the name of Annabel Lee;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
   Than to love and be loved by me.

I was a child and she was a child,
   In this kingdom by the sea,
But we loved with a love that was more than love—
   I and my Annabel Lee—
With a love that the wingèd seraphs of Heaven
   Coveted her and me.

And this was the reason that, long ago,
   In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling
   My beautiful Annabel Lee;
So that her highborn kinsmen came
   And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulchre
   In this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in Heaven,
   Went envying her and me—
Yes!—that was the reason (as all men know,
   In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of the cloud by night,
   Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.

But our love it was stronger by far than the love
   Of those who were older than we—
   Of many far wiser than we—
And neither the angels in Heaven above
   Nor the demons down under the sea
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
   Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams
   Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes
   Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
   Of my darling—my darling—my life and my bride,
   In her sepulchre there by the sea—
   In her tomb by the sounding sea.

Join Celebrate Poe for Episode 235 as this podcast continues to explore elements that both Poe’s dream works and the movie Inception share.

Sources include: The Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe by Edgar Allan Poe and the movie Inception, directed by Christopher Nolan,

Thank you for listening to Celebrate Poe.

OCEAN

Celebrate Poe

Spinning Top, Part Two

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