Distortion

With Poe we see that fear comes not only from the unknown, but also from the distortion of things like time, space and location. An example is in The Pit and the Pendulum "In groping my way around the prison, I could not fail to encounter this rag upon completing the circuit. So, at least, I thought; but I had not counted upon the extent of the dungeon or upon my own weakness."When things are distorted we become confused and without having been in the situation before, don't know what to do. It is different from what we are used to and that takes away the comfort. For example if you were a football player and after playing for years, the rules suddenly change or become "distorted," you may no longer be confident in your skill. We trust too much in the world around us to stay constant. Once it turned around, we are swept up in it if we don't have something steady to hold onto. Instead of counting on the things in our lives to stay stable, we should give our lives to God to take care of because He is the only rock in this chaotic world.