What Does The Cask Of Amontillado Symbolize

In Edgar Allen Poe's short story, "The Cask of Amontillado", Poe uses his gift to incorporate theme into the story using several symbols. Poe tells the story of Montresor, a man seeking revenge in order to punish Fortunato, who has been the source of insults that finally push Montresor to the point of no return. His plan for revenge is represented by symbols in the story including Fortunato's outfit, the Montresor family coat of arms, and the different uses of "mason" between the two men.
The first symbol presented to us in the short story is Fortunato's outfit. Montresor recalls "encounter[ing] [his] friend" dressed as a jester at a carnival one evening, which is both ironic and symbolic. Fortunato's outfit is a symbol of himself for being a fool. Montresor reveals to the reader in the beginning of the story that Fortunato was constantly insulting him which finally pushed him to the point at which he decided to murder Fortunato. The fact that Fortunato did not realize that his "friend" was fooling him the entire evening just to lure him down to the catacombs under Paris to seal him up to die alone is why his outfit is so ironic and symbolizes his foolishness for not seeing …show more content…
As the two men walk down to test the Amontillado, Fortunato mentions that he forgot the Montresor coat of arms which happens to be "a human foot...crush[ing] a serpent whose fangs are imbedded in the heel." Montresor then tells him their motto "Nemo me impune lacessit" which translates to "No one dare attack me with impunity." These two things symbolize Montresor's plan to kill Fortunato and explains why he is doing it. Montresor is punishing Fortunato for insulting him which is like the heel crushing the serpent that bit it. The family motto further symbolizes the plan of revenge because it states that "no one will get away unpunished after attacking me." Montresor is living by this motto by killing Fortunato for insulting him so