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The Dark Side of Human Potential in “The Cask of Amontillado”
Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “The Cask of Amontillado” is a chilling tale of a man
recounting a murder he committed 50 years previous with heartless execution and
flawless accuracy. The cold manner in which the narrator describes his cruel and
ingenious method of murder evokes a classical Poe-feeling of horror from within. The
narrator throughout the story claims to be doing it out of a sense of duty, but as the
story progresses the reader cannot help but feel that his motives are more devilish. His
inhumane way of carefully calculating every step of taking away human life, and the lack
of passion in the act makes the reader feel terror in the possibility that there are men in
the world who would with the same lack of hesitation commit such a horrible crime.
Reading through a formalist lens we can see that the style, diction, and literary devices
of the story clearly show that the intention of the work was to invoke horror from within
the reader. By having fear and dread invoked within us, we are able to see the dark
potential of human nature that every person contains.
Poe’s dark style is one of his key trademarks as a writer. He was often was
jealous of other writers and frequently fought with them, which was the cause of his
banishment from literary circles in New York and New England. His feelings of bitterness
towards his losses to his enemies probably inspired the tale of revenge in, “The Cask of
Amontillado” (Kelly 410). The particulars of the story may have originated from actual
events. Reverend Joel Tyler Headley, a contemporary of Poe, wrote of his experience
discovering a skeleton in a church which was chained up after a wall was removed,
exactly mirroring the events in Poe’s tale (Schick 19-20). The fact that Poe’s intention of
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writing this poem was an outlet for his own murderous feelings to those he felt wronged
him, and also was inspired by the actual heinous murder of someone else adds to the
horror of the reader. Understanding that the sick twisted tale of Poe is more than just a
brilliant piece dark literature, but a window into the evil possibilities of the human
psyche, strikes a chord in the reader’s own conscience knowing that no human is
incapable of such inhumanity.
Not much history is given within the text of the story’s narrator Montresor. It is
clear that he came from wealth and most likely lost it due to some offence of his victim
Fortunato. Poe is masterful at invoking fear by the use of irony. Dobie defines irony as:
“A statement or situation in which the meaning is the opposite of what is said, done, or
expected” (45). The story begins and ends with irony and examples of it are scattered all
in between. For example, Fortunato’s name implies being fortunate; however, as the
story unfolds it is made abundantly clear that Fortunato will be anything but fortunate.
According to Charles N. Nevi, even Fortuanato’s dress is an example of irony.
“Fortunato’s dress is ironic, for a jester is not just a man to be laughed at; he is a man
who makes others laugh by being aware of the frailties of mankind and then ridiculing
them. But Fortunato is the one who is aware of very little and who ridicules nothing. It is
Montresor who comes closer to the role of jester” (462). Each of us are fooled by the
jesters of our own lives, whether it be a person or by our very own vices.
Poe’s constant use of a double audience shows Montresor in a calm and
pleasant manner, but because of the awareness of the audience and the knowledge that
Fortunato is ignorant to his imminent doom by the hand of the crazed Montresor, the
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audience cannot help but feel suspense and anxiety for the events they know will occur.
This is one of the masterful examples Poe gives us of his genius of writing. The reader
feels desperate knowing that if only he or she could break through the pages and warn
Fortunato of his fate that he would be saved, but the reader feels hopeless knowing that
his fate is sealed in the unbending text. How ironic that we should feel that we should
have the ability to warn another man of his troubles when we ourselves are victims to
our own ignorance to the problems we face.
There are many other examples within the story that give the reader textual
evidence of the meaning. Setting, foreshadowing, imagery and more examples of irony
are used to bring out the feeling of terror. The first device used to convey this feeling is
the setting.
The story begins in the, “…supreme madness of the carnival season.” (Kelly 411)
which implies a setting of insanity, passion, and irrational decisions. The characters
move to the, “…damp ground of the catacombs of the Montresors.” (Kelly 413) The
image of a resting place for the dead implies death and murder. Murder is constantly
foreshadowed not only with the setting but also with the dialogue of the characters. “
...‘I shall not die of a cough.’ ‘True-true,’ I replied”(Kelly 413). Again the use of the
double audience reveals the narrator’s murderous intentions.
Irony is also used constantly throughout the dialogue, “ ‘I drink,’ he
(Fortunato) said, “to the buried that repose around us,’ ‘and I (Montresor) to your long
life’ “ (Kelly 414). This beautiful language written for the dialogue is both simple and
menacing. Poe’s character Montresor has not only trapped Fortunato into his binds, but
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the reader as well. As Fortunato prepared for the final steps of his plan, the reader who
has fully invested into the story cannot look away, although they know that something
horrible is about to occur. This story is an artful example of a beautiful tragedy.
The final image is the most chilling. After Montresor had successfully chained
Fortunato to the wall and completed all but one piece of his construction that would
seal Fortunato to his death, Montresor recounted, “I thrust a torch through the
remaining aperture and let it fall within. There came in return only a jingling of the bells”
(Kelly 417). This is a simple image that conveys Poe’s supreme skill at description and
evoking the feeling of deep horror. It is so powerful that one can almost hear the bells,
which are a cue to the reader that Fortunato resigned himself to his own death.
Though the tale of a man being buried alive at first glance may seem fantastic or
beyond belief, a simple glance into the dark recesses of one’s darkest thoughts can
reveal that such thoughts are not beyond anyone’s ability. The text gives us an example
of human madness and digression into murderous insanity. Poe teaches us not only the
meaning of fear in this tale, but that each of us is to be a force to be feared.
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Works Cited
Dobie, Ann B. Theory Into Practice An Introduction to Literary Criticism. 2nd ed.
Wadsworth Cengage Learning, Boston, MA, 2009
Kelly, Joseph “The Cask of Amontillado.” The Seagull Reader Stories. 2nd Edition Ed.
Joseph Kelly. W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. New York/London, 2008. 411-417
Poe, Edgar Allan. “The Cask of Amontillado.” The Seagull Reader Stories. 2nd Edition Ed.
Joseph Kelly. W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. New York/London, 2008. 411-417
Nevi, Charles N. Irony and “The Cask of Amontillado.” The English Journal, Vol, 56,
No. 3 (Mar., 1967), pp.461-463
Schick, Joseph S. The Origin of “The Cask of Amontillado.” American Literature, Vol.
6, No. 1 (Mar., 1934), pp. 18-21