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Literary Analysis Of The Cask Of Amontillado

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"The Cask of Amontillado", by Edgar Allen Poe, is the best short story because the setting, style and syntax of language, and point of view from which the story is told allows the reader to understand some of the complexities of character and motives of the protagonist. In this story, Montresor, a member of the French aristocracy and the protagonist, seeks revenge on Fortunato, a Nuevo riche member of French nobility, because of an unnamed insult. Montresor leads Fortunato into his family's catacombs, chains him to a wall, and encases him in brick, leaving him to die. This story is told from the point of view of Montresor and as a confession as he remembers the details of his vengeance. Poe deliberately chooses his setting as a symbolic metaphor of the protagonist and his actions. The style of the first-person point of view narration further illustrates the complexity of Montresor's character. All of these elements combine to reveal a highly complex protagonist with a motive that is much deeper in meaning than what appears on the surface. The style of speech by the protagonist give subtle clues into his mental state and the complexities of his thought. This short story is told by Montresor in present time, giving his account of a crime committed fifty years in the past. Because the story is told in first person, the reader is invited to be a part of this crime and to condone it as well (Hartnell-Mottram, 2007). Montresor had been insulted by Fortunato and because

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