Analysis of The Cask of Amontillado
Analysis of "The Cask of Amontillado
Edgar Allen Poe authored many short stories. Each story depicts a mysterious adventure, or a scary tale of murder or torture. In each of his stories, he usually goes beyond what is real and ventures into a magical and impossible tale. A few of the short stories in which these characteristics are present include, “The Tell-Tale Heart”, “Murders on The Rue Morgue”, and the “The Cask of Amontillado”.
The story, “The Tell-Tale Heart” was about a man who murdered another man and buried his body beneath the floor, where the body remained for almost a week. When the police came to question the man about the murder, the guilty man heard the body beneath the floorboard. It seemed to the man as if the murdered man’s heart was ticking. This ticking gradually drove the man insane. His guilt seemed to bubble over, becoming more apparent. Eventually, the man confessed to the crime.
The story, “Murders on the Rue Morgue” was about an investigation of a series of murders that occurred on a street in Paris known as the Rue Morgue. As the evidence is gathered and more murders are committed, the detectives soon come to the realization that the murders were committed not by a man, but by an orangutan.
The story, “The Cask of Amontillado” was about a nobleman, Montressor, who leads another nobleman, Fortunato, into the catacombs beneath the river. Fortunato had betrayed Montressor. How, the author does not tell. Montressor eventually seeks revenge by building a wall and locking Fortunato into the cask of Amontillado.
All of the stories mentioned symbolize either a mysterious unknown; such as in “The Cask of Amontillado”, when Poe failed to mention how Fortunato betrayed Montressor; or an unrealistic presence, such as in “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “Murders on the Rue Morgue”. Poe’s stories represent situations that are impossible to conceive in real life, yet his writing is a classic example of extraordinary fiction.