Imagery In The Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe

Why are Edgar Allan Poe’s works so poignant and heavy when read? Poe uses a variety of literary devices to convey what he wants to the reader, but imagery is the most impactful of them all. He allows the readers to step into his stories and permits them to feel as they have been taken into the story. Poe’s portrayal of tragedies and dark stories in his works such as “The Black Cat,” “The Masque of the Red Death,” and “The Cask of Amontillado” depends mainly on his use of one artistic tool, imagery. Each of these three stories explores tragedies or either dark, twisted characters that make some inhumane decisions for some reason or another.

Now with the understanding of what tool Poe uses to make his writings more impactful, “The Cask of

Amontillado” reveals many examples of Poe’s skillful use of imagery. Most of the story takes place in catacombs, probably somewhere in Italy, where two men are searching for a wine called the Amontillado. Poe explains in detail the halls of the catacombs and how they are lined with human remains and the structure of the roof and placement of support beams. Poe states “Its walls had been lined with human remains, piled to the vault overhead, in the fashion of the great catacombs of Paris.” The way Poe portrays the catacombs really allows someone as a reader to picture the setting and feel as though he/she are really there. To add on, later on in the story as the two men make their way further into the crypts, Poe uses imagery again to describe the scent of the catacombs. Poe explains “ We passed through a range of low
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arches, … arrived at a deep crypt, in which the foulness of the air caused our flambeaux rather to glow than flame.” By the use of imagery in “The Cask of Amontillado,” the readers are able to have a clear, detailed image of the setting in the story.
Along with many examples of imagery in “The Cask of Amontillado,” “The Masque of the Red Death” also illustrates numerous examples of imagery that are impactful to the story.

“The Masque of the Red Death” is a short tale about a king who rules a dominion plagued with a disease called the red death. The Prince decides to build a fortress that will hold many of his closest friends and relatives and keep the disease out. The castle in which the Prince and all of his closest friends are inside of, is a magnificent fortress that is lavish and decorated with a variety of colors for each apartment. Poe explains, “That at the eastern extremity was hung, for example, in blue—and vividly blue were its windows.” In this quote, the use of imagery describes the first of seven apartments that hold guests for balls and entertainment. In addition, the last of the seven apartments described is a black room that in itself symbolizes the red death. In this room stands a clock that clangs every hour and when the clock begins to clang. Everything in the fortress seems to stop while the clock clangs. Poe describes the clocks clang very vividly, to set the mood of the seventh room and what it is like. Poe states “Its pendulum swung to and fro with a dull, heavy, monotonous clang.” This example of imagery uses the hearing sense, and it helps the reader understand the mood of the room. Poe wants this room to be creepy, dark, and scary and conveys that clearly through the use of

imagery.
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Though it may seem as the examples of imagery in “The Masque of the Red Death” may be the most impactful, there are instances in “The Black Cat” where Poe uses imagery to describe some of the darkness and most twisted scenes in great detail.

“The Black Cat” is a short story about a man is dealing with alcohol problems, which cause him to lose his temper more frequently. One of the first cases of the man’s lashing out happens towards the beginning of the story. The man returns home, very intoxicated, and proceeds to cut one of the cat’s eyeballs out. Poe states “I took from my waistcoat-pocket a pen-knife, opened it, grasped the poor beast by the throat, and deliberately cut one of its eyes from the socket!” The use of deep description by Poe in this instance allows the reader to fully imagine the actions done by the man to the cat. He gives many small details like “grasped the poor beast by the throat,” to really readers to see what he wants them to. Additionally, as the story moves forward, the man is not done with the cat. He then proceeds to murder the cat he has already cut an eye out of. Poe explains “One morning, in cold blood, I slipped a noose about its neck and hung it to the limb of a tree.” Poe paints a striking picture for the reader to see, and to feel the full impact of the action taken in the story.

To sum up, the use of imagery by Edgar Allan Poe in his stories results in his stories being very poignant. In “The Cask of Amontillado,” Poe describes the catacombs

in great detail by stating what they look like and the scent. In “The Masque of the Red Death,” Poe’s use of imagery allows us to understand what the castle layout is, and the mood of the last apartment. Lastly, the actions done by the main character in “The Black
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Cat” are described in great detail, making the story more impactful. Imagery is such a big part of Poe’s stories, what would it be like without it?