Nicholas Gianforte
Mrs. Stack
Advanced English 11
18 December 2009
How does Poe do it?
Edgar Allen Poe’s use of foreshadowing, irony and diction creates a dismal tone in “The Cask of Amontillado.” Poe is more than well-known for his unique and unorthodox literature. “The Cask of Amontillado” is yet another story to his collection with the creation of a dark and ominous tone. This particular story is typical of Edgar Allen Poe, yet, like all others, it is necessary to analyze and determine the source of his writing skills. In this short story, his use of specific literary elements is used to portray the tone. Edgar Allen Poe’s life was marked by stress and depression, leaving some of his works comparable to his reality. In this short story, the unknown narrator is determined to seek revenge on
Fortunato, his former friend. These specific elements make this story unique and a recognizable work of Poe.
Foreshadowing can go unnoticed, but Poe’s use of these subtle predictions is hard to miss. In this case, foreshadowing starts immediately in the introduction of “The Cask of Amontillado.” The use of foreshadowing in the introduction causes the sudden formation of the overall tone, starting the reader off with a specific dismal tone.
THE thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could: but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge. You, who so well know the
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nature of my soul, will not suppose, however, that I gave utterance to a threat. At length I would be avenged; this was the point definitively settled- but the very definitiveness with which it was resolved, precluded the idea of risk. I must not only punish, but punish with impunity. A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong. (Poe 1)
With this excerpt from the introductory paragraph, the reader is automatically predicting future events and developing a mood. In this case, a dismal tone is formed from thoughts of vengeance and punishment. These many examples of foreshadowing keep the readers’ attention by continuously adding to the tone:
“You? Impossible! A mason?” (Poe 4). While Fortunato questions the unknown narrator, the mention of being a mason will come into play in the climax of the story. The unknown character claims to be a Mason, but only a mason pertaining to the occupation. Fortunato thought his being a Mason was dealing with the famous Mason family. Fortunato’s realization of the mason confusion will occur at the end of the story, when the narrator contains him in a wall, the craft of a mason. Poe’s foreshadowing also links with his frequently used irony, verbally and dramatically.
Irony is used by Poe to elicit his tone and to bring comic relief in a sense.
In “The Cask of Amontillado,” dramatic and verbal irony plays a very significant role in understanding the true meaning of the story. Fortunato alone is an example of irony, for his circumstances are anything but fortunate. Edgar Allen Poe uses a
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unique choice in narrator, who is the main source of the story’s dramatic irony. As the narrator’s identity is unknown, we know that he seeks revenge against
Fortunato. With the earlier mentioned use of foreshadowing, the reader is aware of Fortunato’s eventual outcome as he continues to descend into the catacombs.
The author’s choice in point of view also enhances the reaction to dramatic irony.
Readers are forced to think as the unknown narrator would, for we know his intentions and motives, but not his identity: “You are a man to be missed. For me it is no matter. We will go back; you will be ill, and I cannot be responsible.
Besides, there is Luchesi.”(Poe 2). We serve as dramatic irony because of the reader’s knowledge of the evil plot and Fortunato’s unawareness. Also, the unknown character uses reverse psychology and jealousy tactics to keep Fortunato descending into the catacombs. By mentioning Luchesi, Fortunato’s wine expert rival, Fortunato becomes jealous of Luchesi and the narrator takes advantage of this by repeatedly mentioning his name. There are also several examples of verbal irony in “The Cask of Amontillado”. The unknown narrator uses verbal irony to persistently persuade Fortunato to continue into the catacombs: “And I to your long life.” (Poe 3). As Fortunato toasts to the dead, the narrator replies with this statement. The narrator toasts to the long life of Fortunato although he is carrying out a plot to murder Fortunato. It is ironic due to his hidden intention for
Fortunato and the fact that Fortunato’s life is almost over. Another example of verbal irony is when our unknown character says he is a mason, but not in the sense that Fortunato means. Poe uses irony in this short story in a continuous effort to create his tone.
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Edgar Allen Poe uses his medieval and archaic word choice to influence the mood. To create the dismal tone in this particular story, his third technique is diction. His word choice connected irony and foreshadowing to make them truly effective. When you immediately start reading “The Cask of Amontillado”, you can envision the setting, the people, the mood, etc. Why is this? Poe’s dialogue and sentence structure all contain unique variations to call his own. His diction is the foundation to which his story is built upon, resulting in the creation of what ever he desires, including tone. This story has unorthodox word choice to expand the fact that the reality of the writing is very dark: “There were no attendants at home; they had absconded to make merry in honor of the time.” (Poe 2). This quote from the story is a proper example of Poe’s diction. The word choice is archaic, unfamiliar to today’s readers, but the tone can still be sensed. Diction is indeed one of Edgar Allen Poe’s techniques to create his dismal tone in “The
Cask of Amontillado”.
Edgar Allen Poe uses many literary tactics to achieve a particular goal. In
“The Cask of Amontillado”, he uses diction, foreshadowing, and irony to create his dismal tone. These three devices are used throughout this story and are executed in perfection to achieve his goal of developing a unique mood. This short story is made in an unorthodox fashion, but remembered as a typical piece of Edgar Allen Poe.
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