Literary Analysis of The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe

📌Category: Edgar Allan Poe, Literature, Writers
📌Words: 801
📌Pages: 3
📌Published: 21 February 2022

Literary horror is characterized by the author’s focus on creating a sense of fear or unease in the reader. “The Cask of Amontillado” implements both physical and psychological elements of horror, as Poe’s unique use of descriptive language illuminates the dingy catacombs where Montresor enacts his revenge on Fortunato, while simultaneously uncovering the true terror of Montresor’s pride and psychopathy. In “The Cask of Amontillado,” Edgar Allan Poe’s use of symbolism and metaphor constructs a unique narrative on the noxious effects of senseless pride and the often great lengths that one will go to preserve one’s reputation.

At the beginning of the short story, Montresor briefly speaks to the reader, revealing his plan for revenge after Fortunato insults him. Gleeful that Fortunato is oblivious to his plan, “[He] continued as was [his] wont, to smile in [Fortunato’s] face, and he did not perceive that [Montresor’s] smile now was at the thought of [his] immolation” (Poe 174). In this line, Montresor’s pride is becoming intoxicating, as not only is he angry at Fortunato for insulting him, he is beginning to take some amount of pleasure in keeping such a plot hidden from Fortunato. As his pride and thus his desire for revenge grows, his emotions contort, beginning to take pleasure in taunting his former friend, fantasizing about Fortunato’s imperviousness to the matter and fate. As the story progresses and Montresor and Fortunato venture deeper into the catacombs, Montresor’s boldness grows. Fortunato makes a toast, saying, “‘I drink,’ he said, ‘to the buried repose around us.’ ‘And I to your long life” (Poe 176). Poe’s use of irony in this line displays Montresor’s larger-than-life pride, as he is confident enough in his ability to slay Fortunato that he repeatedly taunts him, almost hinting at his fate as they go deeper into the web of niter. This line also highlights Fortunato’s pride and ultimate foolishness, as unbeknownst to him, he is about to become a part of the very thing he is toasting to. Because Fortunato’s pride in his wine-tasting has hindered his ability to deduce Montresor’s true intentions, he has become almost as foolish as his jester costume, impotently waiting for something that will never come.

Deep in the catacombs, Montresor has finally imprisoned Fortunato, shackling him inside an obscure niche in the catacombs. Fortunato is astounded, still begging for the promised cask of Amontillado. Finally revealing his plan to Fortunato, he cruelly taunts him saying “Indeed, it is very damp. Once more let me implore you to return. No? Then I must positively leave you” (177). Montresor’s confidence has grown to the point that he can taunt him with the thought of escaping his fate while still being shrewd enough to know that he will never leave the niche. Here, the pride of the two men is becoming almost as foul and intoxicating as the niter hanging in the air. Now violently ill, his urge to prove his winetasting skills inches him closer to death. As Fortunato repeatedly refuses any chance at rescue from the catacombs, Montresor’s understanding of Fortunato now allows him to no longer be hindered by subtlety, for he can now implore him to return from the niche, knowing he will never be unchained, both by pride and the granite shackles by which he is bound. Once Montresor has finally killed Fortunato, his judgment, once clouded by desperation, begins to return. He cries out for Fortunato, and there is “No answer still… ...only a jingling of the bells” (178). This line is Poe’s final mentioning of Fortunato’s bells, signifying that his foolishness remained fastened to him until his grisly end. Fortunato is reduced to his jester-like idiocy, brought about by his egotism. Of course, Fortunato is dead ultimately because of the actions of Montresor, but when Montresor wishes to redress his wrongdoing, he is brought a subtle reminder of what both he and Fortunato have become, their empathy and judgment cast into obscurity by pride. When his actions are presented to him, Montresor feels a pang of guilt, as “[His] heart grew sick; it was the dampness of the catacombs that made it so” (178). Even as Montresor’s bravado begins to fade, his pride and self-righteousness still diminishes his understanding of his emotions, immediately likening his guilt to the niter hanging upon the walls. Montresor’s narcissism causes him to kill Fortunato, and ultimately, even after the deed is done, casts a dark shadow upon what little remorse he feels for his deceased friend.

Throughout “The Cask of Amontillado,” the growing ostentatiousness of both Montresor and Fortunato establishes the often toxic effects of all-consuming pride. As vanity grows, it seems as if one becomes increasingly burdened by the urge to uphold one’s reputation. Of course, the feeling of wounded pride is one shared by all of mankind, and the urge to enact revenge on those who hurt us can be both tantalizing and relieving. However, the inebriating nature of pride can obscure someone's judgment, rendering them unable to see beyond their profound ego. “The cask of amontillado” begs the question of how far is too far when it comes to pridefulness. if retribution is a necessary evil, when will it swallow us whole? Will pride always make us foolish and imprudent?

+
x
Remember! This is just a sample.

You can order a custom paper by our expert writers

Order now
By clicking “Receive Essay”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement. We will occasionally send you account related emails.