What makes a story interesting to you? Is it mystery, intrigue, irony, horror, humor, or even murder? If you answered murder stories then you are in luck.
"The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe's and William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" are compelling murder stories, full of dynamic characters, vivid detail, and compelling points of view. These two stories encompass the elements of plot, character, setting and point of view among others. Although the elements of the central theme of murder are different, these stories share other elements that make these stories unique.
In the short story “The cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe, the basic plot structure is classified as flashback. In the text, this strategy of plot structure is defined by “informing the reader of events that happened before the opening scene of a work.” This is identified in “The cask of Amontillado” during the opening when Poe illustrates the anger and malice Montresor has for Fortunato.
The overall effect this story has on the reader is one of suspense. Brick by Brick the story is developed making you wonder if Fortunato was considering the possibility that this was some sort of joke. Poe’s use of flashback is effective due to the questions the reader is forced to consider while the story is read. As the story concludes, we learn that this event took place a “half century” prior. The fact that Montresor is recounting this event 50 years later reiterates how Montresor is feeling, and how
Foreshadowing is another literary device highly used in “The Cask of Amontillado.” An early instance of foreshadowing is seen in the title “The Cask of Amontillado.” In the title the word “Cask” closely resembles the word casket which refers to where a person lays after death. The title quickly draws attention that the story involves the death of a person. Another very important use of foreshadowing is in the first sentence in “The Cask of Amontillado.” Poe starts the story off with Montresor stating, “THE thousand injuries of Fortunato I had
The intricately placed details and glimpses of death in “The Cask of Amontillado” can establish a dark and thought-provokingly immersive environment for the reader to explore. Being able to make a connection with a story and digging in is a wonderful experience and is something every reader should be able to do. That is why “The Cask of Amontillado” is such an important story. Poe left out any extra details that were not needed and boiled the story down to the core essentials. This allows the reader to look straight into the heart of the story and immerse themselves in it
Montresor is untrustworthy from the very beginning. By montresor vowing revenge early on ,the readers cannot trust his unreliable story. The text states , “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had born as long I could”(poe 59). The reader cannot trust montresor because montresor wants to kill fortunato.The reader cannot trust someone who has vengeance on others. There are always two sides to a story there side your side and the truth. And in this story we only got one side. James F. Cooney says “In the course of the narrative we learn how montresor used the cutting edge of irony to give a surgeon’s neatness to his work and to secure the greatest possible delight of himself” (Cooney 15 ). Montresor is trying to kill fortunato. He finds delight in the the act of killing fortunato. His murder
The first device Poe uses in the story “Cask of Amontillado” is mood. Poe uses mood to analyze the story to show that mankind believes in the necessity of revenge and doing justice by their own hands. One quote that supports this claim is, “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could; but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge” (Poe 1). This quote supports the claim because this quote displays that the mood of this story is developed through word choice, dialogue, sensory details, and description. In the first sentence of the quote “A thousand injuries I had suffered” (Poe 1) the author explains in the opening sentence, it gives a justification of the actions of Fortunato. The narrator of the story, Montresor is talking about his side of the story, by telling the reader that Fortunato has “ventured upon insult”, and crossed the line. The mood of the story “Cask of Amontillado” is dark and suspenseful. The mood of the story is dark and suspenseful because the strength of Montresor hatred for Fortunato is strong. The way Montresor manipulates Fortunato builds a great deal of tension. The mood of the story is dark and suspenseful because while Montresor executing his plan of getting revenge by Fortunato, by killing him, he didn’t feel guilty and not having any mercy on Fortunato. Another quote from the passage that supports the claim is, “We had passed through long walls of piled skeletons, with casks and puncheons intermingling, into the inmost recesses of the catacombs. I paused again, and this time I made bold to seize Fortunato by an arm above the elbow” (Poe 3). This quote sets up the mood of the story because the walls of the catacombs are covered with spider webs as they
"The Cask of Amontillado" is one of Poe's best-known tales of horror. It is primarily about pride and revenge. “Foreshadowing is a literary device in which a writer gives an advance hint of what is to come later in the story” (Literary Device). Through the use of foreshadowing, Poe presents a horrific drama of two men. In the Cask of Amontillado, there are several examples of foreshadowing in the story.
First, Poe uses different points of views to develop characterization in antagonists and protagonists in short stories. In "The Cask of Amontillado", Poe uses first person point of view to describe the protagonist. Montresor's (protagonist) character develops through his actions and feelings. He is shown to be deceiving, claiming," he did not perceive that my smile now was at the thought of his immolation." (The Cask of Amontillado, 1) The quote suggests of Montresor's slyness/sneakiness. Montresor's character develops through the story over time. The story is shown to be written as a confession, almost as the character Montresor himself had been trapped with his guilt as he trapped Fortunato; literally. As the story progresses, Montresor becomes more manipulative and dark as he carries out his plan. Fortunato (antagonist) is portrayed to be silly and non-serious, as he had been
In “The Cask of Amontillado,” Edgar Allen Poe uses many examples of imagery, such as the descriptions of the carnival, characters, the walk through the catacombs, and much more throughout the story to build suspense and intrigue for the readers and add to the mystery of Montresor’s underlining actions of the revenge and deception of the foolish Fortunado.
In the short story “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe tell of a man going to great extents to get revenge. Montresor holds a grudge against Fortunato because he has insulted him several times causing pain inside him to form and builds up day by day. Fortunato has a talent of tasting wine but needs to find a way not to express his feelings that much. Throughout the story, Edgar Allan Poe creates events in which he builds suspense. The author keeps his readers on their feel by having a surprise at every corner. Edgar Allan Poe demonstrates in “The Cask of Amontillado” how he uses the conflict to show the build of suspense, change of mood of the reader, develop the theme, reflect a change in the character/characters.
“If a story is in you, it has to come out” (Faulkner). This is a statement made by William Faulkner, the author of “A Rose for Emily”, and it represents the purpose of writing “A Rose for Emily”. His story, “A Rose for Emily” and “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe both tell stories of murders, either about the murderer, or from the murderer’s point of view. “A Rose for Emily” tells the story of Miss Emily Grierson, an elderly woman that has recently passed away. She was rarely seen, but was with a man named Homer Barron a few years before her death. The town assumed Homer would marry Emily, but he suddenly disappears soon after being seen with her. After Emily’s death, the town searches her house and finds Homer dead in a locked
Feuds and arguments between individuals who may disagree with or dislike one another are a common occurrence in everyday life, often varying in degrees of intensity, but rarely reaching a point of extremity. However, in Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “The Cask of Amontillado”, This threshold of extremity is reached by the narrator of the story, Montresor, who explains that his acquaintance, Fortunato, has repeatedly and irreparably insulted him over the course of years, and uses it as justification to take justice into his own hands and seek retribution through murder, despite there being no proof of Fortunato's guilt other than Montresor’s claims. His motive for murdering Fortunato can be attributed to his state of mind, as Montresor’s lack of guilt, empathy, or remorse highlights him as a character with psychopathic tendencies. As the story progresses, Montresor’s cold and calculating nature leaves the audience full of dread and suspense while he lures the oblivious Fortunato towards his inevitable demise. The employment of rhetorical devices such as irony, theme, and structure builds the suspense for the ultimate climax of Poe’s gothic masterpiece.
Montresor is the brutally insensitive narrator and presents his story from a unique first person perspective. Poe was intricate in telling this story from his point of view. He could have chosen to paint a picture for the readers through the eyes of Fortunato or possibly an outside narrator’s perspective. Poe makes an interesting decision as to who was going to tell the story. Significantly, he does not explain the nature of Fortunato’s transgression through Montresor's point of view. To explain further, Montresor tells the story in the first person, the reader is able to be directly aware of his thoughts therefore
Edgar Allan Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado is thought to be one of his most popular vengeful short novels. The two main characters, Montresor and Fortunato are re-acquainted friends who meet each other at The Carnival. Montresor has intentionally planned to lure Fortunato to his own death by deceiving him to believe that Fortunato is coming to Montresor's family catacombs to taste a fine wine “Amontillado”. After Montresor leads Fortunato into the crypts, Montresor eventually chains Fortunato up in a secluded section and mortars him behind a brick wall while he is still alive. The story ends with Montresor throwing a flaming torch into the small opening while he continues to put the last brick in place, essentially burning Fortunato alive. Edgar Allan Poe creates conflict between characters Montresor and Fortunato which primarily creates the major theme of revenge in this story. Edgar Allan Poe depicts setting in this novel by portraying death by illustrating human bones, within a cold and damp crypt to contribute to the eerie theme of revenge. Montresor's characterization is expressed through the betrayal of his friend, which adds another element to the theme of revenge in this story. In Edgar Allan Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado, Edgar Allan Poe utilizes conflict, setting, and characterization to create a theme of revenge.
"The Cask of Amontillado" is one of Edgar Allan Poe's greatest stories. In this story Poe introduces two central characters and unfolds a tale of horror and perversion. Montresor, the narrator, and Fortunato, one of Montresor's friends, are doomed to the fate of their actions and will pay the price for their pride and jealousy. One pays the price with his life and the other pays the price with living with regret for the rest of his life. Poe uses mystery, irony, and imagery to create a horrifying, deceptive, and perverse story.
Edgar Allan Poe’s, “The Cask of Amontillado” (1846) is narrated by Montressor. He is a gothic narrator, as his motives are associated with revenge and mental instability. In fact, the story opens with Montressor’s description of revenge of his friend Fortunato, who supposedly “insulted” him, and he lures Fortunato to his family’s catacombs for his death. However, Montressor is unwilling to reveal Fortunato’s insult and he is uncertain of why he wants to commit the horrendous act. Montressor’s narration is unreliable, and as the story unfolds we deduce his mental state. By carefully analyzing the tale, Montressor’s psychological dilemma encourages us to find the missing pieces of the puzzle and interpret the events in a metaphorical sense suggesting that the events are far less associated with revenge but more with Montressor’s guilt.
By: Harshul Jain The Cask of Amontillado is a short story written by Edgar Allan Poe. Poe is known for using Gothic conventions in his stories which mostly includes the atmosphere of mystery, oppressiveness to create terror but interestingly he subverts the Gothic conventions by having having human beings, instead of a supernatural element, create most horrible deeds. Poe tries to achieve that horror via the capabilities of the humans. Poe uses unreliable narrator and psyches to propel the story. The Cask of Amontillado is a classic example of such a story. The Cask of Amontillado is a story of 2 friends, Fortunato and Montresor. Montresor in this story is the narrator. Montresor has been