Student Name: ABOUCHACRA Lynn
Grade: 10
Semester: 1, 2012
Subject: English
Teacher: L. Garrott
Unit: Gothic Literature
Genre: Formal Analytical Writing
Word count: 1,781 words
Purpose: To explore and analyze the central gothic
techniques at work within a chosen text. To then express
and analyze formally in an extended analytical response.
Due date: Tuesday October 9th, 2012
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Poe never had a positive image of the world, he was known as a tormented alcoholic. He said:
“Nature is dark, sinister and mysterious and that man is flawed”.
The full name of the author is Edgard Allen Poe; he wrote a gothic novel called The Cask of
Amontillado. One can find many literary features in the text, like: psychology through
characterization and inclusion of fear and horror. They are part of the gothic literary features
which are essential in a gothic text/novel/poem/etc. Without them one couldn’t find anything
gothic, mysterious, and scary; they bring the effect to the reader.
This essay will expand on the following: Poe successfully used two gothic elements: psychology
through characterization and inclusion of fear and horror, to show that foolishness and folly are
two of man’s flaws. And the reason as to why he wanted to do so is because of the miserable life
he had due to the failure of humans and the darkness of nature.
Psychology through characterization is a prominent Gothic literary feature which is essential in a gothic
text/novel/poem/ etc. Without the Gothic literary features, the reader won’t find anything gothic,
mysterious, scary, because they bring the effect. The reader wants stories greater than normal that is done
through psychological details included for the central characters, the author focuses on uncertainties and
contradictions of the human psyche through psychological investigation. In the text “The Cask of
Amontillado” one can explore the personalities of Fortunato and Montressor because of the psychology
through characterization in the text that the author points out, like: “Proceed”, I said; “herein is the
Amontillado. As for Luchresi-“ “he is an ignoramus”. This characterization through dialogue shows the
reader how Fortunato values his pride, and produces a link to the theme of foolishness and folly, one of
man’s flaws. Montressor even planned what he had to say to make Fortunato want to go even more. He
knows that Fortunato values his pride immensely, so he was smart enough to use that against him by
mentioning Luchresi, his rival. Fortunato tell into the trap that is proved by the fact that he changed his
tone when Montressor mentioned the name. Fortunato wants to be the one who knows everything about
wine. One can assume that Fortunato wants to be respected and even feared, he wants to be proud of
himself which brings one back to the idea of foolishness and that Montressor is tricky and he wants to kill
his friend, it enforces the theme of folly. And the next quote shows that the author is describing how
stubborn and determined Fortunado is: “My friend, no. It is not the engagement, but the severe cold with
which I perceive you are afflicted. The vaults are insufferably damp. They are encrusted with nitre.” “Let
us go nevertheless. The cold is merely nothing” Fortunato wants to see the pipe Montressor received, he
wants to know everything about wine and he is very curious especially because of Montressor. It’s the
reason why he didn’t want to go back when he was coughing, he was determined to go and check it out.
He is foolish because he was already drunk and he was determined to go and see the wine, it made his
decision ridiculous. Before insisting, Montressor said that it would be better if they went back, but it was
actually part of what he was supposed to tell Fortunato to trick him and want him go even more, he made
him more curious, so one can shoulder that he is sly. The reader is seeing everything through the lens of
Montressor; what he is planning, why he is acting like that, what he is thinking, what he is feeling; the
point of view of the text is the first person, so the narrator, which is Montressor, is a character within the
story as the “I” voice. Montressor is a Villain because he is going to kill his friend since he embarrassed
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him, and the punishment he applied is too severe. The reader can find dramatic irony because he knows
something Fortunato doesn’t, which is that his death is near. Finally, the last quote about psychology
through characterization is the following: “He! he! he! - he! he! he!” “But is it not getting late? Will not
they be awaiting us at the palazzo?” Fortunato can be a joker, he doesn’t take life seriously, and he has a
joker attitude; it makes revenge so much easier for Montressor as Fortunato is naïve and doesn’t pay
attention to every detail going on around him. In this part of the text, Montressor has already succeeded in
his plan, he achieved everything he wanted to do and say to Fortunato. Fortunato wasn’t worried even
when Montressor was left with one tier to be fitted and plastered in, he thought that is was a joke and that
everything was going to be back to normal, that they were going to go back to the palazzo and drink some
wine. The reader can conclude that there is a side of him that likes making fun of people and joking
around; that doesn’t care about the world which shows that Fortunato is foolish. The reason to why
Montressor wants to kill his friend is because Fortunato made fun of him and embarrassed him, the
punishment was too severe, it makes the theme relate even more to folly; Montressor can’t handle a joke,
he gets offended very easily.
The inclusion of fear and horror is part of the Gothic literary features too; it can help the reader feel fear,
terror and horror through the descriptions of the author, the setting, the mood, the atmosphere, the
characters, and the tone. One can find many parts in the text that makes the reader more interested, more
curious about what’s happening and what is going to happen to the character that is in trouble, like: “Two
flambeaux”, “the foulness of the air cause our flambeaux rather to glow than flame”, the foulness of the
air isn’t a good sign for the reader, it enforces the idea that something bas is going to happen; therefore
the reader is foreshadowing that something bad is going to happen to Fortunato. It is the foulness of the
air that is making the atmosphere of the text be sinister; since it is happening in a scary and dark location,
so the reader knows that the story won’t end well, it brings fear, suspense, horror and terror. The
flambeaux are glowing instead of flaming because of the foulness of the air; one can see that the diction is
formal; since it is characterized by a learned vocabulary and grammatically correct forms. It puts in force
the concept of foolishness and folly, because of the fact that the foolishness of the air is foreshadowing
that something bad is going to occur. The next quotes evolve around death and how foolish Fortunado
was: “The damp ground if the catacombs of the Montresors”, “long walls of piled skeletons, with casks
and puncheons intermingling, into the inmost recesses of the catacomb”, “the drop of moisture trickle
among the bones”, “Its walls had been lined with human remains, piled to the vault overhead, in the
fashion of the great catacombs of Paris”, these quotes are all scary since they all evolve around death, the
reader should be sure that someone is going to die which brings one back to the concept of
foreshadowing, it makes him want to read even more and know what will happen, if Fortunato is really
going to die or not. The idea of foolishness and folly is always present in the text as Fortunato was too
foolish to realize the circumstance of the situation. The final quote shows how Montressor contradicted
himself, he wanted to kill Fortunado and in the end he regretted it:“A low moaning cry from the depth of
the recess”, “there was a long obstinate silence”, “and then I heard the furious vibration of the chain”, “a
succession of loud and shrill screams”, “for a brief moment I hesitated, I trembled”, “I replied to the yells
of him who clamoured”, “but now there came from the niche a low laugh that erected the hairs upon my
head”, “it was succeeded by a sad voice which I had difficulty in recognizing as that of the noble
Fortunado”, “My heart grew sick; it was the dampness of the catacombs that made it so”.Montressor is
scared, he killed his friend, he is a murder, a criminal, he is in a crypt, there are human remains
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everywhere and the dead body of Fortunato, one knows that Montressor is scared, it makes the reader
imagine like he was in his place, and that scares the reader, no one would want to be in his place, which
brings one back to the idea of foolishness because he did all of this, achieved his plan and regretted it in
the end. The idea of imagery is present in the text, since one can find a language that evokes a physical
sensation produced by one of the five senses. Imagery creates pictures in the reader’s mind, and also
suggests a number of imaginative associations.
One can conclude that Edgar Allen Poe used betrayal in this text because we was betrayed by his two
fathers when he was just a young boy, so his childhood affected his novels, his poems, his stories, etc., it
made him want to show that foolishness and folly are two of man’s flaws, they only think about what is
good for them; in this case it is Montressor’s pride. Poe’s biological father rejected him when he was a
baby, he left his wife, and made her a single mother, she was working really hard to let her children
survive, one of them was Poe, but sadly, she died of tuberculosis. Poe was adopted by the Allens but Mr.
Allen was never trying to help him, it was always Mrs. Allen who loved him like he was her own child,
but she died of tuberculosis, so he was alone with Mr. Allen, and he rejected him too. He was
heartbroken, and that really affected him, he used the gothic style when he wrote since it talked about
sadness, anger, revenge, betrayal, horror, terror, it was scary, he wanted to show how flawed humans are.
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