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The importance of symbolism in the cask of amontillado
Critical analysis of cask of amontillado
The importance of symbolism in the cask of amontillado
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Revenge is developed as a theme in the cask of amontillado throughout the story using verbal irony. Montressor our main character uses small phrases to “We will go back your health is precious” (Poe pg 2) to make make fortanto feel as if montresor cares about him. This irony is somewhat funny due to montresor's true intentions. ALmost everything montressor says is the opposite. Even Fortunato's name is used as irony, because it closely resembles the word Fortunate which he is the complete opposite of. This often is used as a step stool for another literary device used in the story foreshadowing. As I have stated noted before foreshadowing was a big literary device in the cask of amontillado often pointing out the ending of the story in some
ways in with a dark sense of humor and this is expertly done with mixing verbal irony with it. They even point out Fortunato's death ahead in the the story “Fortunato -“I shall not die of a cough”, Montresor -”True”(Poe pg 2), this foreshadows because they speak of a cough not being his true killer and when Montresor says true it points to him having something much more sinister and evil planned out to end Fortunato.
For example, Montresor expresses concern about Fortunato and says, "Come, I said, with this decision, we will go back; your health is precious. Montresor does not want Fortunato to die from anything other than his own plan of slow death by asphyxiation. Symbolism in "The Cask of Amontillado" This story by Poe has numerous examples of symbolism. For example, the manner in which Fortunato is dressed is ironic for a man with societal prominence. Fortunato is a man of stature who is “rich, respected, admired” (Baym).
Have you ever met someone so clever, determined, and cruel to leave a man to die over an insult? Montresor is the perfect example of these character traits. In “The Cask of Amontillado”, by Edgar Allan Poe, Montresor uses all of these character traits to get revenge on Fortunado for insulting his family name. Montresor’s clever planning, determination for revenge, and cruel murder are the perfect combination for his unequaled revenge.
Symbolism is something that represents more than what it really is. It is often by authors in their writing to give it more emphasis. For example:" In life there will always be peaks and valleys" meaning in life there will be ups and downs but we should enjoy the peaks and fight through the valleys. Objects can also be a form of symbolism such as The Bible, it represents more than just a book. It represents Life, Church, Religion, and the life of Jesus Christ and what he stood for. Irony is like a twist or words or the opposite of what is intended. For example: Laughing at someone that just slipped and fell, then later you find yourself slipping and falling is a form of irony. Irony is found in real life situations as well as writings. Symbolism is a technique that gives authors a better story and shows objects as more than what they are. They use techniques like this to catch the reader’s attention.
Irony is also used throughout this tale. The use of revenge in this story shows irony. Montressor avenges himself by fooling Fortunato into literally walking into his own grave. Fortunato pursues the "cask" which ends up being his own casket. Montressor even asks Fortunato repeatedly whether he would like to turn back.
Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most celebrated writers in American literature. He is well known for his style of writing which is dark and morbid in nature. Poe makes use of irony as well as foreshadowing in many of his stories including the short story “The Cask of Amontillado”. For the most part, Poe's descriptions in his writings are haunting and realistic. Some often speculated that Poe derived his unique style of writing from his personal life struggles. His stories are written with deep emotions that make his audience feel a connection and they can create an image of themselves experiencing what is happening in his writing. Poe dedicated most his stories into specific categories which stayed within a genre and those who admire his work are never mistaken for someone else’s. Another American writer, whose writing manifests her life experiences, is Kate Chopin. Chopin is late 19th century writer who used her writing to voice her dissatisfaction of current principles of the time. In her time, women had fewer rights and they were not considered equal to men. Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” is about how someone can be stuck in a miserable and unsatisfying reality because of other’s thoughtlessness, oppression, and domination. Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” and Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” share similar elements of irony, foreshadowing, and symbolism. In addition to using similar elements of writing, Chopin and Poe are greatly influenced by their struggles with their own personal life and society. Both author’s stories reach out to their audience not only about what they have witnessed and experienced, but also revealing to them to how the society were in the past.
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 Edgar Allen Poe’s, “A Cask of Amontillado” it is filled with symbolism, irony and the suggestion of good versus evil. The narrator of the story, Montresor, hides behind a mask, who is of a different world than others. Some might say that he is slick, diabolical, calculative man who is out for revenge with impunity. Being a descendant from a very powerful aristocratic family, Montresor could not possibly let Fortunato insult him with impunity. As his family motto states, “Nemo me impune lacessit,” which means, no one attacks me with impunity. He never states what Fortunato did to deserve the ultimate punishment. He only states, “ the thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge”
Revenge is a powerful tool used by many to do irrational things, it gives them motive and drive to do something that might seem illogical. For Montresor the protagonist in Edgar Allan Poe’s “ The Cask of Amontillado” the drive of revenge brought him to kill a man named Fortunato who had injured him a thousand times and insulted the Montresor Family name. Revenge can be one of the strongest forms of motivation for a person to do evil things for a personal satisfaction.
Edgar Allan Poe is one of greatest American authors and poets. He is well-known as a master of using irony in his story. “The Cask of Amontillado” is a horror story about revenge of Montresor upon Fortunato. Fortunato believes Montresor is his good friend, but he ends up with being chained and walled in to the catacombs. There are three types of irony used in this short story: verbal irony, dramatic irony, and situational irony. Using these ironies, Poe wants the readers to understand about Montresor’s “friendship” with Fortunato.
Throughout "The Cask of Amontillado," by Edgar Allan Poe the author uses many literary techniques to create mood. Irony is used to contrast between appearance and reality. Foreshadowing and symbolism are used in many different effective ways to show mood. Allegory and Motif are used in different situations to affect the mood of the story and give us a visual of the setting. Mood overall is very powerful in this story and the literary devices are an important aspect to it.
The theme of revenge in “The Cask of Amontillado” is the driving force for the entire short story. The main character, Montresor, vows to take revenge against the other main character, Fortunato, because of an “insult” that Fortunato has apparently made against Montresor (Baraban). This is evident in the opening line of the short story when the narrator Montresor states, “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge (Poe 1612). This opening line makes it obvious that the insult is what directly led to Montresor’s insatiable desire for revenge, but there are also some underlying factors that could have indirectly led to this revenge as well.
“The Cask of Amontillado” is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe. This story is about a man who commits murder because he was insulted. The saying, “Revenge is a dish best served cold” means that revenge is best served not fresh after the insult occurred, but after enough time has passed so that the target won 't see it coming. Montresor is the man in this story who is repeatedly getting offended by a so-called “friend” named Fortunato. Montresor has had enough of the insults and wants to plot revenge against Fortunato. Montresor knows he must have a thought out plan and in no way can anyone catch him. Montresors wrath towards Fortunato is so strong it drives him to make sure Fortunato suffers. He is cold hearted wanting vengeance and is ready
Edgar Allan Poe’s revenge driven short story “The Cask of Amontillado” is a tale in which an anti-hero narrates his account of how he carried out a plot to exact his vengeance against his nemesis “Fortunato”. Poe engages the reader with the use of first-person point of view, as the speaker gives an insidious play by play of his deeds to set the tone. Not as quite apparent as this plot for revenge, are the subtle usage of foreshadowing, and symbolism, helped along by the setting used by Poe, to set up the climax. The speaker’s tone and word choice hint to the reader, that something a bit more nefarious is just around the corner. The speaker lures his prey through devious action, to venture into the catacombs “in pursuit of a pipe Amontillado” (536). Unfortunately, all that awaited Fortunato was his undoing. Using these elements Poe eloquently constructs a tale of revenge that builds suspense before a satisfying surprising conclusion.
The Cask of Amontillado uses a number of symbols throughout the story. Symbolism is what help convey the message that Edgar Allen Poe sends to his readers. The symbols that were used in the story were the names of Fortunado and Montresor, the title of the story, Fortunado’s conical cap, the setting, and the heraldry.
In “The Cask of Amontillado,” there are serval themes that can be drawn from the story. However, perhaps the most obvious theme of the story is revenge. Right from the start, Montresor is plotting revenge against the man who had disgraced his family’s name. He not only claims his vengeance, but he later acts against his victim, Fortunato, to ensure his ultimate demise. Drunk, Fortunato is ensnared into Montresor’s plans of revenge. Thus, he pays the price of lonely death in search of wine. This sinister plot inspires the theme of revenge, but the family name incites revenge as well. With a family motto and coat of arms that promises revenge upon an attack of a Montresor, the theme of the story is written into stone even before the story begins.