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Kisa Schultz
Professor Love
ENGL 355
23 February 2016
Essay #1: The Cask of Amontillado
In Edgar Allan Poes The Cask of Amontillado, an unnamed narrator recalls the story
of his revenge against wine connoisseur Fortunato, which took place fifty years ago. Where a
first, superficial glance at the story gives little away about the narrators background and
motivation, the deeper literary structures and tools open up a world of clarifying interpretations.
Poe writes this story from the narrators perspective, his dialogue and imagery providing
immense insight into the storys famous finale. Through the use of dialogue, symbolism, and
point of view, Poe suggests that the narrator kills Fortunato due to a combination of jealousy,
duty to his familys legacy, and mental instability.
The narrators dialogue and word choice are both tools Poe employs to reveal his
jealousy of Fortunatos importance and success. The reader is aware of the revenge plot from the
first line of the story, but we see the narrators bitterness in action when Fortunato is first
described. They meet at a carnival and the narrator is not simply greeted but accostedwith
excessive warmth (Poe 1118). The paradoxical nature of feeling attacked by Fortunatos
friendliness exposes the narrators resentment, which could be born of jealousy. Because we
understand the narrators bitterness toward Fortunato, we know that as they enter the catacombs,
his courtesy and concern are superficial and manipulative. The narrator comments that Fortunato
is rich, respected, admired, and a man to be missed, whereas the narrator is no matter
(1119). The remark about his own expendability suggests a jealousy of Fortunatos wealth and
importance, and the list of Fortunatos traits could be some of the thousand injuries mentioned

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in the storys opening line (1117). The narrator chooses words that both reveal and disguise their
true meaning. For example, when Fortunato says that he will not die from his cough, the narrator
replies Truetrue (1119). To the drunk Fortunato, his companions agreement appears a
comfort when it is in fact a reference to the narrators sinister plan. Following this logic, the
narrators preceding list of compliments functions in the same way. The narrator lulls Fortunato
into a false sense of security while also informing him of the thousand injuries or insults. In the
narrators jealous eye, each of Fortunatos successful qualities is an insult to his own endeavors
in the same professional field, especially since the narrator seems to carry the weight of an ageold name.
The Montresors coat of arms and motto symbolize the narrators relationship with
Fortunato while highlighting the familys history and importance. The coat of arms is a huge
human foot dor and the foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs are imbedded in the heel
(1120). Upon my first reading, I believed it to be the narrators foot stamping on the offending
Fortunato. However, I am more convinced that Fortunato is the golden, wealthy, foot which
wounds the cunning, almost evil snake that is the narrator. The snake punishes that which
wounds it, as the Montresors are not wounded with impunity. Additionally, the narrator refers to
his family in the past tense, noting that they weregreat and numerous and thus implying that
he is the last of his blood. If this is the case, Fortunatos competition is a threat to the narrators
family legacy, and therefore gives the narrator incentive to eliminate that competition. Not only
must the narrator follow his familys motto and punish Fortunato for insulting or wounding him,
but he must also protect himself as the sole proprietor of their legacy. This sense of duty to the
family adds to the aforementioned feelings of jealousy, and these destabilizing qualities are only
augmented by madness.
Poes use of first person point of view allows the reader to understand the severity of the

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narrators vendetta against Fortunato and get a taste of his mental instability. Descriptions of
feeling accosted by excessive warmth work best when the narration is in first person, as any
outside perspective would have to be more on the nose. It is more effective to feel the narrators
bitterness through his own eyes than to fish it out of a third person narrators words.
Additionally, the first person narrators matter-of-fact, steady tone as he recounts these horrific
events hints at mental instability. The narrator matches and even surpasses Fortunatos screams
as he builds the wall, a scene that conjures a rather grotesque image in the readers mind, and
states simply, I did this, and the clamorer grew still (1122). While the act of murder itself
would lead one to accuse the narrator of insanity, the placidness with which the narrator recalls
the rather violent last half of the story is the final nail in the insanity coffin (or, indeed, brick in
the wall).
The form of the short story genre allows Poe to focus on the culmination of the narrators
relationship with Fortunato, and leaves the reader guessing about the details surrounding this
incident. The storys brevity gives the reader plenty of time and opportunity to revisit every word
and decipher their hidden messages, such as the possibility of the narrator being the last
remaining member of his family. Every word and phrase, every symbol, and the perspective all
must be chosen carefully when working with such a small writing space. The dual-meaning
dialogue serves to trick Fortunato into the catacombs and reveal the narrators jealousy. His
family crest and motto reflect his intended revenge and duty to upholding the family legacy. The
first person point of view partnered with the steady, detached tone implies a case of insanity.
Each of these tools in Poes story lend to different aspects of the narrators motivation behind the
principal event of walling up and essentially killing Fortunato. Poe writes an incredibly
successful short story, packing a lifetimes worth of history and resentment into only a few pages
of clever dialogue and simple narration.

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Works Cited
Poe, Edgar Allan. "The Cask of Amontillado." Making Literature Matter: An Anthology for
Readers and Writers. Ed. John Clifford & John Schilb. 6th ed. Boston: Bedford/St.
Martin's, 2015. 1117-122. Print.