The Clever Use of Imagery and Irony in Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”
Edgar Allan Poe is best known for dark short stories and poems. His stories are not always labeled dark because of blatantly frightening and disturbing imagery, but instead are labeled dark because of the way he crafts the stories. “The Cask of Amontillado” begins with Montresor, the narrator, vowing revenge on Fortunato for insulting him. Montresor crafts an intricate plan with two criteria: Montresor cannot get caught and Fortunato must understand why Montresor is seeking revenge upon him. One evening, Montresor tells Fortunato that he has a Spanish sherry and wonders if it is truly Amontillado. Montresor insists Fortunato to enjoy the dusk carnival atmosphere and can …show more content…
Poe states that a great short story must have one emotional effect on the reader, this is known as the Single Effect Theory. Every word in the short story must bring out this single effect. From beginning to end, the single effect in “The Cask of Amontillado” is suspense. In the first sentence of the story, Poe writes “when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge” (Poe 340). This short phrase already creates questions for readers to eagerly find out the answers to. Poe strikes readers with suspense from the very first line of the story. Poe’s requirement of the “initial sentence to outbring [the] effect” is met. Also, the single effect must be “in the whole composition” and “there should be no word written” that does not allude to the single effect (Poe 1440). Some can argue that the default single effect in “The Cask of Amontillado” and many other works by Poe is horror. However, the setting of the carnival has nothing horrific about it. The single effect is suspense since Poe takes the readers away from carnival life and places them in a grim underworld. The setting is also ironic because a “carnival is a place for happiness and not murder” (Nevi 461). Fortunato was deceived by Montresor; he did not expect such agony in a place like the carnival. The irony around the setting provides tension into the story. Readers know Poe writes dark stories and the carnival is the opposite. The setting raises a question since the readers know what is being forebode. Poe also states that the single effect must allow the reader to experience the effect undisturbed. It is not the horror that keeps readers on the edge of their seat, but the suspense is what makes the audience eagerly to continue reading. The horrific act of Montresor trapping Fortunato is lengthwise shorter than the tension building Poe provides beforehand. The audience is reading the short story undisturbed because they are drawn in by the suspense
Edgar Allan Poe is best known for dark short stories and poems. His stories are not always labeled dark because of blatantly frightening and disturbing imagery, but instead are labeled dark because of the way he crafts the stories. “The Cask of Amontillado” begins with Montresor, the narrator, vowing revenge on Fortunato for insulting him. Montresor crafts an intricate plan with two criteria: Montresor cannot get caught and Fortunato must understand why Montresor is seeking revenge upon him. One evening, Montresor tells Fortunato that he has a Spanish sherry and wonders if it is truly Amontillado. Montresor insists Fortunato to enjoy the dusk carnival atmosphere and can …show more content…
Poe states that a great short story must have one emotional effect on the reader, this is known as the Single Effect Theory. Every word in the short story must bring out this single effect. From beginning to end, the single effect in “The Cask of Amontillado” is suspense. In the first sentence of the story, Poe writes “when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge” (Poe 340). This short phrase already creates questions for readers to eagerly find out the answers to. Poe strikes readers with suspense from the very first line of the story. Poe’s requirement of the “initial sentence to outbring [the] effect” is met. Also, the single effect must be “in the whole composition” and “there should be no word written” that does not allude to the single effect (Poe 1440). Some can argue that the default single effect in “The Cask of Amontillado” and many other works by Poe is horror. However, the setting of the carnival has nothing horrific about it. The single effect is suspense since Poe takes the readers away from carnival life and places them in a grim underworld. The setting is also ironic because a “carnival is a place for happiness and not murder” (Nevi 461). Fortunato was deceived by Montresor; he did not expect such agony in a place like the carnival. The irony around the setting provides tension into the story. Readers know Poe writes dark stories and the carnival is the opposite. The setting raises a question since the readers know what is being forebode. Poe also states that the single effect must allow the reader to experience the effect undisturbed. It is not the horror that keeps readers on the edge of their seat, but the suspense is what makes the audience eagerly to continue reading. The horrific act of Montresor trapping Fortunato is lengthwise shorter than the tension building Poe provides beforehand. The audience is reading the short story undisturbed because they are drawn in by the suspense