In the short story “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edger Allan Poe, revenge is the main theme that is portrayed thorough the story. The story contains many literary elements that connect to the life of the author, as well as around the time period it’s based around. The short story holds literary elements that in turn are used to depict the author himself. Some of the elements in the story that are detailed are irony, characterization, and symbolism. In addition, there are elements that shows the reader trends that were happening to depict the time period. Fortunato’s name is ironic as well as the wine that he was so desperate to drink. This compares to Poe as he was a notorious drunk in his time. There are multiple symbols that are shown throughout
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The name Fortunato means fortunate, but by the end of the story he is not very fortunate. Another point is the wine that Fortunato so desperately hunts for and never reaches it. It is shown throughout the story that Fortunato has tuberculous, as throughout the story the narrator is constantly reminded of his health by the narrator. Fortunato is persistently coughing and being reminded about it by the narrator continuously. The narrator halfheartedly concerns himself of his friends’ health by saying, "Come," I said, with decision, "we will go back; your health is precious. You are rich, respected, admired, beloved; you are happy, as once I was. You are a man to be missed. For me it is no matter. We will go back; you will be ill, and I cannot be responsible. Besides, there is Luchresi --"(Poe 741). The wine is also a form of irony, as Fortunato hunts for the rare Amontillado. In comparison to Poe, the story portrays aspects of the author himself. Poe was constantly surrounded by death due to tuberculous that was highly deadly during his time (St. James Guide to Science Fiction Writers). Poe as well, was a notorious drunkard during his life. Near the end of Poe’s life, the author is found in a drunken and drugged state. In the comparison to the story, both Poe and Fortunato die in their pursuit of alcohol. Fortunato is only saying the Amontillado and cares only to quench his …show more content…
However, there are other elements that must be used in order to fully depict the scenario and set the overall tone and mood. The story is placed during carnival, a joyous time of drinking and dressing up. Both Fortunato and Montresor are dressed upped in the story, however, only Fortunato is ever given a depiction of what he was wearing in the story. The narrator tells us of what he sees his friend in, “He had on a tight-fitting parti-striped dress, and his head was surmounted by the conical cap and bells.”(Poe 739). The carnival is a time of joy and merriment that comes, but in the story it’s used as a cover for the murder. The bells on Fortunato is as well a symbol towards history. Bells were used during the time period of the stories setting, were used as a precaution if someone was prematurely buried alive. Bells were just one way for the undertakers to determine if someone had passed or were still alive and needed to be saved. A small bell was placed at the top of the grave, with a small rope leading into the coffin. If the rope was pulled, it would notify the gravedigger close by to save them. But, however, if there was no signal, then the person was presumed truly dead.
The name Fortunato means fortunate, but by the end of the story he is not very fortunate. Another point is the wine that Fortunato so desperately hunts for and never reaches it. It is shown throughout the story that Fortunato has tuberculous, as throughout the story the narrator is constantly reminded of his health by the narrator. Fortunato is persistently coughing and being reminded about it by the narrator continuously. The narrator halfheartedly concerns himself of his friends’ health by saying, "Come," I said, with decision, "we will go back; your health is precious. You are rich, respected, admired, beloved; you are happy, as once I was. You are a man to be missed. For me it is no matter. We will go back; you will be ill, and I cannot be responsible. Besides, there is Luchresi --"(Poe 741). The wine is also a form of irony, as Fortunato hunts for the rare Amontillado. In comparison to Poe, the story portrays aspects of the author himself. Poe was constantly surrounded by death due to tuberculous that was highly deadly during his time (St. James Guide to Science Fiction Writers). Poe as well, was a notorious drunkard during his life. Near the end of Poe’s life, the author is found in a drunken and drugged state. In the comparison to the story, both Poe and Fortunato die in their pursuit of alcohol. Fortunato is only saying the Amontillado and cares only to quench his …show more content…
However, there are other elements that must be used in order to fully depict the scenario and set the overall tone and mood. The story is placed during carnival, a joyous time of drinking and dressing up. Both Fortunato and Montresor are dressed upped in the story, however, only Fortunato is ever given a depiction of what he was wearing in the story. The narrator tells us of what he sees his friend in, “He had on a tight-fitting parti-striped dress, and his head was surmounted by the conical cap and bells.”(Poe 739). The carnival is a time of joy and merriment that comes, but in the story it’s used as a cover for the murder. The bells on Fortunato is as well a symbol towards history. Bells were used during the time period of the stories setting, were used as a precaution if someone was prematurely buried alive. Bells were just one way for the undertakers to determine if someone had passed or were still alive and needed to be saved. A small bell was placed at the top of the grave, with a small rope leading into the coffin. If the rope was pulled, it would notify the gravedigger close by to save them. But, however, if there was no signal, then the person was presumed truly dead.