And thus, as a closer and still closer intimacy admitted me more unreservedly into the recesses of his spirit, the more bitterly did I perceive the futility of all attempt at cheering a mind from which darkness, as if an inherent positive quality, poured forth upon all objects of the moral and physical universe, in one unceasing radiation of gloom. How does Poe develop a short story element in the excerpt?

setting: gloom

Explanation:

He's writing about a scary setting. It's as horrifying as it can be. He leads you carefully by the hand.

...Cheering the mind from which darkness, as if an inherent positive quantity, poured forth upon all objects of the moral and physical universe, increased ... in gloom.

You can't get a better picture of gloom than this.

the main character of "the secret life of walter mitty" retreats into a false pretense as a means escape from his mundane reality -- this is a flagrant issue seen in societies abroad, typically found in young adults and it is robbing our youths of their childhood.

explanation:

a thesis -- a well developed, formal thesis is required to be one sentence long. there are many themes in "the secret life of walter mitty" and i had resolved to give you one of the simpler ones while still honing it with class.