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Edgar Allan Poe is known for his Gothic stories. His writing style was deeply
influenced by his troubled life, which he was abandoned by his father as an infant and
lost his mother at age 3. He was also thrown out of college for gambling debts at the
age of 18. Associated with such unpleasant life experience, Poe reflected his mind
onto his literary works. Poe’s short stories, “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The
Masque of Red Death” both show characteristics of Gothic literature, which can be
observed from their themes and the wide use of sensory imagery.
The theme of “The Cask of Amontillado” is “revenge”. Throughout the story, the
readers can notice that the narrator, Montresor, has a strong hateful feeling towards his
friend, Fortunato, because of “the thousand injuries” that he had insulted Montresor.
Here Poe uses a hyperbole to exaggerate the fact that Montresor received a
considerable amount of “injuries”. It also indicated that Fortunato’s sin is intolerable.
In this case, Poe uses an irony on Fortunato’s name, which means “fortunate”. In fact,
Fortunato eventually ended his life painfully. The plot leads to “revenge” step by step,
while Montresor took his approach. On the other hand, the theme of “The Masque of
the Red Death” is that no one can avoid death, no matter how “prosperous” one is.
Similarly, Poe uses an irony as well on Prince Prospero. His name means “prosperity”,
but his wealth can’t prevent him from dying.
The titles of these Gothic literary works have great impact on the readers’ first
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impression. For example, the “cask” from “The Cask of Amontillado” means a
barrel-shaped liquid container. However, it can be interpreted as “casket”, which is
another word for “coffin”. In the title, Poe drops a hint of the plot. In contrast, the title
“The Masque of the Red Death” already shows a straightforward subject, which is the
main idea.
In “The Cask of Amontillado”, the setting was set at a carnival, where the
atmosphere is bright and jovial. Likely, in “The Masque of Red Death”, Poe uses a
similar setting that takes place at a masquerade. The two stories have a common
feature, which their settings are both in a form of celebration. Whereas the former is
an open traditional Italian celebration and the latter is a personal and private banquet.
In “The Cask of Amontillado”, the scene was changed to the “insufferably damp”
vaults, which are “encrusted with nitre”. The setting becomes cold and gloomy, where
the story starts its turning point. The nitre can symbolize that the vaults are
surrounded by death, since they are the “catacombs of the Montresors”. Likewise, in
“The Masque of the Red Death”, the climax is created when the mysterious masked
figure appeared in the party at midnight. As Prince Prospero holds a dagger and
confronts the figure, the setting is changed from the blue room to the black and red
room. The blue room can symbolize joy or birth, while the black and red room means
death. The settings of both stories are appropriate use of gothic literature.
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Poe made great uses of irony. In “The Cask of Amontillado”, Montresor says,
“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.”
Talking to a drunken man, Montresor finds that Fortunato would still insist to go,
which Montresor would begin his next approach of revenge. In addition, another
example of irony is shown when Fortunato is suffering his cough. Fortunato says,
“Enough, the cough’s a mere nothing; it will not kill me. I shall not die of a cough.”
Montresor replies, “True—true, and, indeed, I had no intention of alarming you
unnecessarily—but you should use all proper caution.” In fact, Montresor knows that
Fortunato wouldn’t die of a cough because he would die in another way, which he will
be buried, alive. Afterward, Fortunato questions Montresor’s career, a mason.
Montresor takes out a trowel, a tool used in masonry, to prove his identity. However
Fortunato would never know that he would be killed with that trowel, under
Montresor’s expertise. All of these examples are dramatic ironies.
Irony can also be found in “The Masque of the Red Death”. In the beginning of
the story, Prince Prospero and his guests are protected from the Red Death in a castle.
But ironically, the castle fails to block the Red Death. The Red Death eventually
sneaks in and keeps the guests imprisoned. On the other hand, when hearing the
striking sounds from the clock, the people at the masquerade were panicked. The
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clock represents the people’s remaining life, while each chiming of the clock reminds
the people that they are getting closer to death. The irony in “The Masque of the Red
Death” isn’t used as much as “The Cask of Amontillado”.
Poe also creates tense atmospheres in both stories, which make them Gothic. In
“The Cask of Amontillado”, when Montresor piles layers of masonry, Poe describes
his actions in a progressive way. Montresor “paused”, “hesitated”, and “trembled” as
the masonry was in process. It can be inferred that Montresor is struggling against his
conscience. Similarly, in “The Masque of the Red Death”, the chiming of the clock
that strikes each hour creates a sudden anxiety among the guests.
In conclusion, in both stories, Poe shows the characteristics of Gothic literature
by using techniques such as ambiguity and irony. He successfully tells the readers two
completely different stories with a similar theme. It is very wise for him to use a great
amount of irony that highlights the Gothic elements.