An abundance of the pieces of literature written by Edgar Allan Poe have an atmosphere filled with horror and terror due to several literary strategies used. Poe once stated ¨When I was young and filled with folly, I fell in love with melancholy” (Poe 1). This quote shows a driving force to why many of the stories written by Poe are so dark. Poe uses three main literary components in order to develop an atmosphere for each of his narratives that is truly terrifying. The three main literary components used by Poe are setting, conflict, and characters. All of these components are used in a way that help to portray the atmosphere of the pieces written by Poe in an ominous fashion. As well, these components help to build upon each other by supporting
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Conflict within all of Poe’s narratives present an atmosphere of terror that makes the reader tremble in his/her seat by creating terrifying situations. An example of this is the conflict that occurs in The Tell Tale Heart. In this horrifying piece, the narrator is a man who has gone crazy over the eye of an old man. This results in a conflict of Man Vs. Man, as the narrator is determined to remove the eye and never have to see it again. However, the only way the narrator can expel this eye from his life is by killing the man. This idea of murder creates a sense of evil and suspense. The narrator succeeds in his mission of eliminating the eye by killing the man and then hiding the body throughout his house so he is able to hide the evidence from anyone who suspects him of murder. However, guilt lies deep within him, guilt he is unaware of at the time of the murder. Police later investigate his house and can find no evidence and relieve their suspicion of any sort of murder committed by the narrator. They begin to converse, however as they do, the narrator, …show more content…
The Cask of the Amontillado is an excellent example of the way fear is spread through the use of characters. The narrator of the story, Montresor, is obsessed with getting revenge on his acquaintance, Fortunato. Montresor’s plan is to lure Fortunato into a trap that will, ultimately, lead to his doom by leading him into a isolated wine cellar, chaining him to a wall, and leaving him for dead. As Montresor chains up Fortunato, Fortunato cries out ¨For the love of God, Montresor!¨ (Poe 1) and Montresor replies with ¨Yes… for the love of God!¨ (Poe 1)nnn . This shows the response used by Montresor is so sarcastic that he has no sympathy for the death and suffering of Fortunato. However, Fortunato is not murdered for no reason. Constantly, snide insults are put out by Fortunato, which is the cause of Montresor’s hatred. Both characteristics of these characters demonstrate a feeling of hatred and dread for the atmosphere. Additionally, a way that Poe develops characters is through the setting. The setting of The Cask of the Amontillado takes places inside a wine cellar that is isolated from all of society. With no one else around to tell of their deeds, both characters are able to act as who they truly are. This brings out the worst of Montresor and his insanity is
Conflict within all of Poe’s narratives present an atmosphere of terror that makes the reader tremble in his/her seat by creating terrifying situations. An example of this is the conflict that occurs in The Tell Tale Heart. In this horrifying piece, the narrator is a man who has gone crazy over the eye of an old man. This results in a conflict of Man Vs. Man, as the narrator is determined to remove the eye and never have to see it again. However, the only way the narrator can expel this eye from his life is by killing the man. This idea of murder creates a sense of evil and suspense. The narrator succeeds in his mission of eliminating the eye by killing the man and then hiding the body throughout his house so he is able to hide the evidence from anyone who suspects him of murder. However, guilt lies deep within him, guilt he is unaware of at the time of the murder. Police later investigate his house and can find no evidence and relieve their suspicion of any sort of murder committed by the narrator. They begin to converse, however as they do, the narrator, …show more content…
The Cask of the Amontillado is an excellent example of the way fear is spread through the use of characters. The narrator of the story, Montresor, is obsessed with getting revenge on his acquaintance, Fortunato. Montresor’s plan is to lure Fortunato into a trap that will, ultimately, lead to his doom by leading him into a isolated wine cellar, chaining him to a wall, and leaving him for dead. As Montresor chains up Fortunato, Fortunato cries out ¨For the love of God, Montresor!¨ (Poe 1) and Montresor replies with ¨Yes… for the love of God!¨ (Poe 1)nnn . This shows the response used by Montresor is so sarcastic that he has no sympathy for the death and suffering of Fortunato. However, Fortunato is not murdered for no reason. Constantly, snide insults are put out by Fortunato, which is the cause of Montresor’s hatred. Both characteristics of these characters demonstrate a feeling of hatred and dread for the atmosphere. Additionally, a way that Poe develops characters is through the setting. The setting of The Cask of the Amontillado takes places inside a wine cellar that is isolated from all of society. With no one else around to tell of their deeds, both characters are able to act as who they truly are. This brings out the worst of Montresor and his insanity is