Death is dignitary who when he comes

[Rabab Azem]

What does the word "he" refer to in the following sentence: " Death is dignitary who when he comes announced is to be recieved with formal manifestations of respect, even by those most familiar with him."? and why not using "it"? (taken from : An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge)

 

[Barb_D]

Re: he refer to?

This is an example of personification.
Death is being treated as a person in this passage. "He" is Death.

and why not using "it"?

Why wasn't "it" used?

Do not leave a space before your punctuation marks. Leave one space after. Start sentences with a capital letter.

 

[emsr2d2]

Rabab Azem, note that I have changed your thread title. Titles should include some/all of the words you are querying.