The Tomb Of Gothic Literature In Search Of The Great

If one delves into, he or she is bound to find a collection of stories by the prince of morbidity. He wove nightmarish lands coated in the darkness that the public now glorifies. A prime example of one of these tomes is “The Cask of Amontillado”.

Edgar Allen Poe shows a theme of revenge not being as sweet as it seems to be because of how brutal it is through symbolism, conflict, and tone in the short story “The Cask of Amontillado”. Symbolism is the first literary device that the story is known for. All of the items in this story represent something else, with layers upon layers of depth being piled on to show how complex the relations are.

The most prominent example of symbolism within this text is Montresor’s coat of arms. It is emblazoned with a foot stomping on a rattlesnake, which is then bitten by the very snake it stepped on (Poe). This shows how Montresor feels about Fortunato’s betrayal- he feels like even though he has been stomped into the ground, that he will get his more deadly revenge for the pain that Fortunato brought him.

Get quality help now

Marrie pro writer

Verified writer

Proficient in: Free Essays

5 (204)

“ She followed all my directions. It was really easy to contact her and respond very fast as well. ”

+84 relevant experts are online

Hire writer

The catacombs are also a prominent symbol for Fortunato; they symbolize his trek towards death without a care, simply confused and dazed by the catacomb’s winding tunnels that are in reality Montresor’s constant hints that he will die. He strives for revenge, no matter the cost.

These dismal hints lead into some of the conflict that stirs the story together into the chaotic note that it ends with.

Throughout the oncoming doom, Montresor constantly drops dubious clues to the slowly approaching death of his previous comrade; he constantly says things like drinking to his long life ahead of him, revealing that he’s a stonemason, warning Fortunato about his sickness, and even telling him to turn back and go home (Poe). Montresor does all of this, as well as tricking the fool in a public square to go wine tasting, so that he doesn’t get caught in his act of murder. The main character definitely premeditated everything he did to the point of absolute perfection, which makes it all that more harrowing. To make this even worse, readers are not even aware of what Fortunato did to be deserving of such a fate. Montresor only alludes to the fact that he was horribly wronged by the man, and because of this, that man deserved to die a grisly death.

Though Poe’s tone is most often dreary to some degree, it shifts throughout this particular story to show Montresor’s feelings about the revenge he took throughout the piece as it morphs with the events. The tone begins by being foretelling of what might be around the bend for Fortunato. Of course, as mentioned before, there’s the constant hints that Fortunato will die, and also the rage boiling within Montresor’s thoughts that only the readers can see (Poe). In addition to this, readers feel by Montresor’s family motto, which translates to something similar to “no one can attack me without being punished” (White 551-552). This sends the tone spiraling from foretelling to straight mad aggression. Anyone can tell that Montresor is angry and intends to wreak havoc on the person that did him wrong, causing a trail of carnage. After he imprisons Fortunato in the chains and begins to block him up the room, the tone shifts again to that of utter despair.

Montresor hesitates to put the last few bricks into place to seal Fortunato’s doom as he cries, literally (Poe). Montresor regrets what he’s done. He continues to seal him up, as the deed is already done and he can’t exactly stop now. The regretful tone follows throughout the rest of the story, right up to the end, where Montresor tells Fortunato a century later to rest in peace. In conclusion, this story is filled to the brim with literary attributes that make it wonderful to inspect and pick apart for the true meaning hiding beneath the veneer of fanciful words and alluring liquors. Though it seems everyone constantly wants revenge on those that he or she hates, revenge is never the answer and always turns out atrociously in the long run with the person regretting their deeds.

Works Cited

1. Poe, Edgar Allan. The Cask of Amontillado. Godey's Lady's Book, 1993.
2. White, Patrick. “‘The Cask of Amontillado’: A Case for the Defense.” Studies in Short Fiction, vol. 26, no. 4, Fall 1989, p. 550. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=7135901&site=ehost-live. Accessed 29 November 2018.