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What Is The Mood In The Cask Of Amontillado

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Edgar Allan Poe had tragic life. This may have led to his dark stories and their realistic details. For example, Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado tells a sinister tale of murder through the eyes of the killer. Poe uses tactics to give the reader a sense of fear throughout the story. In The Cask of Amontillado Edgar Allan Poe creates the disturbing mood through the use of dialogue, sensory details, and foreshadowing. In the story Poe creates the disturbing mood through dialogue. The text reads, “’Drink,’ I said, presenting him the wine. ‘I drink,’ he said, ‘to the buried that repose around us.’ ‘And I to your long life.’” (pg. 7) This is ironic because Montresor is about to kill Fortunato, which really is the opposite of drinking to his “long life”. This is disturbing because the reader knows that Montresor is planning to kill Fortunato, but Fortunato is unaware. The author also writes, “’Pass your hand,’ I said, ‘over the wall; you cannot help feeling the niter. Indeed it is very damp. Once more let me implore you to return. No? Then I must positively leave you. But I must first render you all the little attentions in my power.’” This text shows Montresor is nearly begging Fortunato to leave the chamber and go back, …show more content…

The author does this when he wrote, “’It is this,’ I answered, producing a trowel from beneath the folds of my roquelaure.” (pg. 8) This is foreshadowing because it would be odd for Montresor to carry around a trowel for no reason. It shows the tool will be used later in the story, when he is laying the bricks to enclose Fortunato in the wall. The text reads, “I must not only punish, but punish with impunity.” (pg. 4) This is foreshadowing that he is going to hurt Fortunato in some way and do it in a way so that he will not get caught. This adds to the disturbing mood because it shows Montresor must have some sort of experience in getting away with crimes. (Carley

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