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Conclusion for literary analysis of the cask of amontillado
Conclusion for literary analysis of the cask of amontillado
About Edgar Allan Poe's writing
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Edgar Allan Poe is undoubtedly one of the most known authors and poets of all time; people all around the world study his work in depth, but why does Poe write the way that he does? Where does Poe get his inspiration? Why is Poe considered an anti-transcendentalist? These are all questions many people may ask and the answer to all is found within the time period in which Poe was writing. The late 1800’s to early 1900’s was a time period called the romantic era, Poe fell in this time period and his work depicts that. Romanticism plays a role in why Poe wrote his stories in the specific way that he does. Poe’s writings directly reflect the time period that he fell into and that is shown in the stories “The Tell Tale Heart,” “The Cask of Amontillado,” …show more content…
When the story starts Montresor talks about the day when he will inflict vengeance on his rich and powerful friend who makes a fool out of him in public settings. Basically Montresor lures Fortunato into his basement and then kills him in a torturous manor. Some symbols that are important and show how Poe was mentally was the setting and the attire the characters were wearing (Rea). In the short story the narrator describes that it was carnival season when the events take place. It being carnival season means that there was madness going on, it may be symbolic so the nature of the narrator's mind (Rea). The attire that Fortunato was wearing on the night when Montresor tortured him to death; Fortunato was wearing the outfit of a jester which means fool (Poe). The fact that Fortunato was dressed as a “fool” may explain how Poe saw his enemies in actual life. That is just another example of how Poe may have shown his own struggles through his narrators (Gargano). The themes that are shown in the “Cask of Amontillado” are of revenge and murder. Like in “The Tell-Tale Heart” murder is also a central theme as in most of Poe’s stories (Girgus). Revenge was also a theme in the “Cask of Amontillado,” this shows that Poe may …show more content…
Another thing that is key in Poe’s writing that show the time period in which he was writing is the details. The details in this short story include those of where the murder was committed. Poe’s literature many times had details from the 1800’s (Girgus). Montresor committed the murder in the vault which was located in his own mansion under the house; where Fortunato was tortured and then he was enclosed in bricks so the body could be hidden. According to Dr Caroline Egan from the University of Cambridge the “vault” that Poe is talking about is where people of higher class stored their wine during the time that Poe wrote the “Cask of Amontillado.” That detail includes in the story gave insight of the time when Poe was writing (Egan). In Poe’s short story “Cask of Amontillado” a lot can be inferred about the mental health of poe and it shows in his writings by symbolism, themes, and
A main theme presented in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe is that Montresor shows obsession with the murder of fortunato. This is exemplified by Montresor’s precise planning, carefulness and slowness of speed in the process.
Poe's, The Cask of Amontillado is a story about fear and revenge. The story begins with Montressor's vow of revenge, foreshadowing future actions. "The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as best I could; but when he ventured upon insult vowed revenge..." Montressor had to be sure not to raise suspicion of what he was going to do Fortunato. Montressor knew that Fortunato had a weakness that he could use towards his advantage.
In order to fully understand Poe’s use of the narrator the two previously mentioned stories must be summarized. "The Cask of Amontillado" is a tale about the narrator, Montresor, who desires to act revenge on his acquaintance Fortunato. He lures Fortunato into his basement in order for Fortunato to examine a rare wine called an Amontillado. While in the deep crypt Montresor offers Fortunato more and more wine so that by the time Fortunato gets to the area where the cask is kept he is heavily intoxicated. Montresor then chains Fortunato to a stone and begins to build a wall, trapping Fortunato inside the crypt to die while Fortunato screams and pleads for his life. Montresor, hearing his pleas for mercy and life, ignores them and continues to build the wall knowing that no one will ever find the body of the unfortunate Fortunato.
Poe was a literary master with the emotions of his readers. He could make a reader feel anything he wanted to with just a few sentences. Through the stories 'The Black Cat'; and 'The Tell-Tale Heart';, he takes the reader through the emotions of his characters using writing methods that draw the reader in. His use of sentence structure and writing style allows the reader to become intimate with the character. Poe knew how the get a reader deep into the story; he could make them believe as thought they went through the deeds with the character. It is how Poe accomplishes this feat that is very interesting topic.
Edgar Allen Poe uses irony and poetic justice all throughout “The Cask of the Amontillado”. The places where irony and poetic justice hold the most significance are the scenes where, Montresor speaks of the wronging done to him by Fortunato, where Montresor and fortunato speak of the coat of arms, and where at the very end when Montresor traps Fortunato in the catacombs and leaves him to die. These scenes clearly show the use of these two tools that Poe used to tell the story of Montresor and
In summary Edgar Alan Poe uses “The Cask of Amontillado” as a story to show pride as both a motivator and as a way to achieve revenge. The story starts by telling us that Fortunato has hurt and insulted Montresor so he feels he must get revenge. He then meets Fortunato, who is dressed in jesters’ clothes for a carnival celebration. This makes Montresor more eager to invoke revenge. Montresor feels that the carnival is giving Fortunato too much enjoyment from life and needs to make Fortunato feel like he is not as important as himself which shows that both men are struggling for dominance and personal pride. Montresor then mentions that he has a barrel of “Amontillado” which is in his catacomb underneath the house. Fortunato is a wine enthusiast and wants to go and taste it because he believes he has the best knowledge of wine which shows his pri...
In Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado,” Montresor sets out on a vengeful mission that will end Fortunato’s life in an untimely fate. Montresor appeals to Fortunato’s love for wine to tempt the unsuspecting fellow to his impending doom. While Montresor tricks the foolish Fortunato frightfully, it is ultimately Fortunato’s pride that leads to his demise in the crypt. Poe uses several literary devices to foreshadow this murderous exploit of Montresor. Through the use of irony, symbolism, and imagery, the story entices readers to delve into the relationships and differences between Montresor and Fortunato.
Edgar Allen Poe’s tale of murder and revenge, “The Cask of Amontillado”, offers a unique perspective into the mind of a deranged murderer. The effectiveness of the story is largely due to its first person point of view, which allows the reader a deeper involvement into the thoughts and motivations of the protagonist, Montresor. The first person narration results in an unbalanced viewpoint on the central conflict of the story, man versus man, because the reader knows very little about the thoughts of the antagonist, Fortunato. The setting of “The Cask of Amontillado”, in the dark catacombs of Montresor’s wine cellar, contributes to the story’s theme that some people will go to great lengths to fanatically defend their honor.
Fisher, Benjamin F. The Cambridge Introduction to Edgar Allan Poe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008. Print.
He used irony to confuse his audience. Irony is when someone says one thing but means another. In “The Cask of Amontillado”. Poe used irony well throughout the story. An example of irony was when the character Fortunato’s name was chosen. Fortunato means fortune or lucky but, he was less than fortunate when he gets murdered at the end of the short story. Another example of irony was when Montresor “encountered” his “friend” and said to him, “my dear Fortunato, you are luckily met…” (“The Cask of Amontillado” 104). Poe was trying to confuse the audience by making it seem that Montresor was a friend instead of the enemy. In “The Fall of the House of Usher”, the narrator said, “the disease which had thus entombed the lady in the maturity of youth, had left, as usual in all maladies of a strictly cataleptical character, the mocker of a faint blush upon the bosom and the face, and that suspiciously lingering smile upon the lip which is so terrible in death” (“The Fall of the House of Usher” 122). The irony there was when Lady Madeline appeared as though she had died but, towards the end of the short story she comes back to life. Edgar Allan Poe used irony in both stories to illustrate the opposite as they occurred. The difference is the way irony was used in the story; in “The Cask of Amontillado”, irony was used verbally such as saying you are a friend but really are not and in “The Fall of the House of Usher”, irony was used
Edgar Allen Poe’s a genius of innovation. He uses the ideas that were common concerns of the time to revolve around in his short stories. Edgar Allen Poe grew up in a rough time when both his parents died, 1811. At a young age Poe was placed with a foster family in which he was treated without any respect. He took the ideas of mental illness to a sophisticated example in his short story, “The Tell Tale Heart.” “The Tell Tale Heart” is written in the gothic style that helps establish the surreal theme. Poe’s whole purpose in writing short story is to address the idea of mental illness which he portrays in his main character. Through his writing of the short story “A Tell Tale Heart” he addresses the idea that criminals were getting away with the idea pf insanity as there escape.
In “The Purloined Letter,” Edgar Allan Poe’s use of complex literary devices reveals his unique writing style. These literary devices include: allusions, metaphors, irony, foreshadowing events, and a detailed exposition. In the very beginning of the short story, Poe provides the reader with information about the setting and timing of the story. This aids the reader to clearly identify what exactly takes place. Poe, known perhaps more for his grotesque and gothic short stories, wrote detective and mystery short stories as well. Within one of his most famous detective short stories, “The Purloined Letter,” Poe illustrates the theme of logic and cleverness to prove the essential nature of intelligence and detail.
Young, naive, and eager to prove his brilliance, Edgar Allan poe was brought out into the world on January 19, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts (Meltzer 14). To the modern world, he is known as a brilliant writer, poet and critic, however in his time, he was bombarded with difficulties. Similarly to some authors, Poe’s writing was greatly influenced by his poor socioeconomic standing. His style of writing can be characterized as quite dark as it is the product of an impoverished and hardship riddled life. Alcoholism, death, and illness were no stranger to Poe, either. These themes, being such an integral part of his life, shaped much of Poe’s poetry into a manifestation of what is known as dark romanticism (Buranelli 22). Additionally, Poe grew
As we have seen in Poe’s short stories and poem, he is one of the most renowned and influential author and critic of his time. He has claimed the title of “the father of the modern short story” which accurately strikes exactly what he seems to have wanted due to the quantity of short stories he has made and the amount of heart and dedication he has planted into them. Many of his works include his beautiful women in each story, glorifying them based on their deep, detailed appearances and explanations as to why he loves them so much. Being an editor for part of his life, Poe was able to constructively criticize literature works which he did with his own that made his work high end and allowed him to use his descriptive details in all of his work. It is my belief that Poe, being the American literacy figure he was, made a deep impact in all of literature by how he expressed in
Poe starts out with a man, by the name of Montresor, wanting revenge on another man, named Fortunato. Most of the story takes place deep in the Montresor family catacombs. As Montresor lures Fortunato into the catacombs, he chains Fortunato up to a small hole in a wall, bricks it over, and leaves Fortunato to die. Even through the traits of anger, hatred, and revenge, as the story progresses on, Montresor, the main character in “The Cask of Amontillado”, starts to show signs of feeling guilty for wanting to murder Fortunato.