Edgar Allan Poe, “the father of the detective story” (“Edgar Allan Poe Biography”), was an American author and critic in the 1800’s. Unlike other authors of his time, Poe wrote depressing and morbid stories. Poe had a difficult life, which was shown in various works of his. Poe’s tragedies started when he was a toddler. Poe was an orphan, along with his older brother and infant sister. Sadly, Poe and his siblings were separated when they were toddlers. Unfortunately, Poe had an upbringing of death; his life was greatly affected by tuberculosis. In the 1800’s, tuberculosis killed 10,000 people per day (Baudelaire), among these people were Poe’s loved ones. Poe’s birth mother, Elizabeth; his foster mother, Frances; his brother, Henry; and his wife, Virginia died …show more content…
James Gargano, a famous critic, said The Cask of Amontillado was a masterpiece; a powerful tale of revenge; one of Edgar Allan Poe 's richest aesthetic achievements; deserves more analysis than it has received; and that critics have rightfully expressed admiration for the tale (Gargano). Like Gargano, many critics give Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado great acclamation. Though few critics are displeased with the narrator, The Cask of Amontillado is widely praised by most critics. "The Cask of Amontillado" is a work of art, and not just an ingenious Gothic exercise” (Milne). Other critics such as Bettina Knapp and Charles Dana, did not like The Cask of Amontillado or that Montresor felt no guilt. Poe 's characters murder and commit heinous crimes and feel no remorse towards their victims. "Bettina Knapp places ‘The Cask of Amontillado’ among Poe 's ‘shadow tales,’ which do not offer values. No judgmental forces are at work. Crime is neither a negative nor a positive act. Poe 's psychopaths do not distinguish between good and evil, nor do they usually feel remorse or guilt”
“The Cask of Amontillado” is a dark piece, much like other works of Edgar Allan Poe, and features the classic unreliable narrator, identified by himself only as Montresor. This sinister central character is a cold ruthless killer that is particularly fearsome because he views murder as a necessity and kills without remorse. Montresor is a character who personifies wickedness. Poe uses this character and his morally wrong thoughts and actions to help the reader identify with aspects of the extreme personage, allowing them to examine the less savory aspects of their own. The character of Montresor detailing the glorious murder he committed is a means of communicating to the reader that vengeance and pride are moral motivators that lead to treacherous deeds and dark thoughts.
Symbolism is something that represents more than what it really is. It is often by authors in their writing to give it more emphasis. For example:" In life there will always be peaks and valleys" meaning in life there will be ups and downs but we should enjoy the peaks and fight through the valleys. Objects can also be a form of symbolism such as The Bible, it represents more than just a book. It represents Life, Church, Religion, and the life of Jesus Christ and what he stood for. Irony is like a twist or words or the opposite of what is intended. For example: Laughing at someone that just slipped and fell, then later you find yourself slipping and falling is a form of irony. Irony is found in real life situations as well as writings. Symbolism is a technique that gives authors a better story and shows objects as more than what they are. They use techniques like this to catch the reader’s attention.
Poe’s first-person narration style in “The Cask of Amontillado” allows the reader to experience a different type of story, from an unusual perspective. By making a killer the narrator, and by making him familiar with the audience, we can see the situation in different darker light. Rather than focusing on the actual physicality and action that takes place in the story, Poe focuses on the thoughts and emotions of the main character, thus making for a more intimately disturbing story for the
The horror that presents itself in “The Cask of Amontillado,” like in many of Poe’s short stories, resides in the small amounts of proof that lies in Montresor’s alleged “insult” and “thousand injuries” from Fortunato.(insert citation here) Poe’s story “The Cask of Amontillado” features vengeance through a secret murder as a method of avoiding the use of the legal system for doing him justice. Law has no place in Montresor’s life, and the enduring terror of the short story is the epitome of execution without evidence. (insert citation here) Montresor subjects himself to re-experience Fortunato’s unintentional offense over and over making Montresor build in anger. In Montresor’s mind then appoints him to judge Fortunato’s fate in this story, which is Fortunato's enviable demise. It is because of this that Montresor becomes an unpredictable narrator.(insert citation here) Montresor admits to what he has done in his story approximately fifty years after its release. (insert citation here) Such a huge amount of time in between the actual events and the narration of the story makes the narration of the events less reliable and seem more fiction. The story “The Cask of Amontillado” has a skewed interpretation, it can be interpreted many ways. The fact that many different people find meaning of the story differently it all comes down to the stories horrific destination.
Typically I would never find myself reading something so dark. Shockingly, though, I really enjoyed everything about it. However, it does make me wonder if I’m just attracted to how Poe writes or the actual obscurity involved with this story. I think Poe’s personal life altered how he wrote. Poe was never in the best of mindsets, most likely the reason behind why his story was so hateful. Therefore, I would like to believe I’m more intrigued by how he specifically writes versus typical dark stories.In response to “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allen Poe, revenge can get the best of everyone. Like most individuals, I too have found myself once glaring from the sidelines annoyed. It takes a lot to make a calm person like myself resentful, but similar to Montresor, it is possible to become so aggravated that a revengeful plot begins to
Irony and symbolism are tools used in writing to convey individual messages throughout the story. It is Edgar Allan Poe’s intense use of symbolism and irony throughout the Cask of Amontillado that gives this short story its suspense and horror filled theme.
From the very dawning of his existence, Edgar Allan Poe lived a life of hardship; a quality which was reflected in his writings. Poe was born the son of a pair of traveling actors. His father, David, was at best a mediocre actor who soon deserted his wife and son. His mother Elizabeth, on the contrary, was a charming woman and talented actress. His life, no doubt, would have been much different were it not for the fact that she died of tuberculosis in 1811 when Poe was not quite three. This event scarred him for life, for he would always remember "his mother vomiting blood and being carried away from him forever by sinister men dressed in black." (Asselineau, 409).
Edgar Allan Poe is known for his many works that are dark and mysterious. He became known as America’s first great literary critic and theoretician. Poe had a dark, troubled life growing up. Both his biological parents died when he was a young boy and was separated from his siblings when another family adopted him. His foster father was in the tobacco industry, but Poe did not want to be involved in that business. He wanted to write. He went to college with very little money. He was so embarrassed by his poverty that he came back home, only to find that his fiancée got engaged to someone else in his absence. He left again, before finding out that the only mother he had ever known was dying of tuberculosis. By the time he returned she had already been buried. Allan, his foster father, helped Poe get into the United States Military Academy at West Point. Allan remarried and did not invite Poe. Poe was angry and wrote Allan detailing all the wrongs Allan had committed against him and threatened to get himself kicked out of the academy. Poe’s wife got tuberculosis, which had already taken the lives of his mother, brother, and foster mother.Because Poe had such a dark, difficult life, he used his poems to reflect his life.
The Cask of Amontillado is one of Poe's most famous short stories. In the story a man named Montresor takes revenge upon his friend, Fortunato. Readers don't know what Fortunato did to deserve revenge. During the 1700's in a European city Montresor had a plan to get revenge on Fortunato. The both of them meet during a festival called "carnival season," Montresor then convinces Fortunato to go home with him to an underground wine vault to taste a special type of sherry wine called Amontillado. Although Amontillado might not be real Montresor lets Fortunato know that, but Montresor also pretends to ask another man named Luchesi to taste it just so he can trick Fortunato into wanting to be the one to taste it. Montresor then goes down to his wine
The Cask of Amontillado is a vengeful, brutal short story written by Edgar Allen Poe in the 1840s. This sinister short story is one I have read on several occasions, yet it never ceases to surprise me with a new aspect of this murderous tale that I had never noticed before. The Cask of Amontillado is an eerie short story, that is filled with brilliantly written foreshadowing and an anticipation that captivates the reader to the very end.
Many today marvel at his stories of horror, but not so much back in his time. Edgar Allan Poe was seen as a melancholy, alcoholic laughing stock. It all began from Poe’s major woe at the age of 2, when his dad left the family and his mom was dying from Consumption, also known as Tuberculosis. Little Poe watched as his mom cough up blood and waste away. After his mother’s death, Poe was separated from his brother and sister and was sent away to his foster parents John and Frances Allan. From there, Edgar’s like kept getting worse and worse; death was a constant theme for both his life and his works. His most famous poem, named “The Raven”, made him an overnight sensation, but he was still poor;
Edgar Allan Poe was a celebrated author who wrote many poems and short stories in the 19th century. Poe was known for his romanticism and the mysterious feeling that was sure to be felt through many of his tales. Edgar Allan Poe was himself, quite a mystery. One of the strangest parts of his character that highlights the mystery within him was his obsession with death. This obsession was most likely rooted from the fact that many of his loved ones had untimely deaths. His mother died when he was very young from tuberculosis (Dameron). Following in the footsteps of the depressing death of his mother, many years later Poe’s young wife died of the same disease, tuberculosis. Many other members of Poe 's family died from various causes,
renovating a palazzo his men found the bones of a human. When I got to
Edgar Allen Poe’s gruesomely fascinating tale of vengeance and murder, “The Cask of Amontillado”, achieves its effect only through its usage of the first person point of view. This unusual perspective enables the reader to view the characters and conflicts through the eyes of the narrator, as he first discusses and justifies, and eventually, carries out his plans for the ruthless murder of his friend. The eerie tone and disorienting and materialistically-related setting of the story contribute to its theme of defending one’s honor and name and avenging all wrongdoings, even something so small as an insult.
“The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allen Poe carries a strong resemblance to a real event that took place at Fort Independence in 1817, while still having several differences.