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The Cask Of Amontillado Essay

Decent Essays

In the short story, "The Cask of Amontillado", Ernest Hemingway uses the progression of the settings to create a sense of horror. The story takes place in what seems to be Italy, it is never said, but is assumed because of the carnival being talked about along with the names in the story. Montresor finds Fortunato at this carnival when it becomes dusk. The setting soon changes from the carnival to the dark and mysterious underground catacombs which display how the story unfolds. Poe uses the different settings of "The Cask of Amontillado" to develop character, theme, and symbolism throughout the story.
Looking at the development of characters along with the setting of the short story, most of the changes come from the character Montresor. Montresor has been hurt by Fortunato and wants revenge. Montresor states, "I must not only punish, but punish with impunity" (543). The scene starts out in a carnival which is happy and friendly, this is exactly how Montresor acts towards Fortunato in the beginning. Then once Montresor draws Fortunato in with the tasting of wine, the two of them head to the catacombs …show more content…

The horror from this story stems from Montresor having so much love for himself and because of that, he is not able to forgive Fortunato for the hurtful things he has done years ago. The love Montresor has for himself, causes him to want Fortunato to die in the catacombs so he can finally have the feeling of being "settled" (543). These dark catacombs represent the dark hate Montresor has for Fortunato and also the actual death of Fortunato. The setting of the catacombs also represents the theme of craziness, only someone crazy would leave a person to die in catacombs. There are many symbols that make up these

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