A short story that is shrouded in mystery, "The Man that Was Used Up" follows a narrator who wants to learn more about an important military figure. A satirical tale that mocks a real person, its strengths as a literary piece lie in the grotesque and immensely humorous episode in which the General is presented. Comic and amusing, the story is a must for Poe fans, even though the supernatural element is left aside, while the paradoxical roams free.-