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Maddie Marshall

Mrs. Rutan

AP Lit

26 September 2019

A Cruel and Unusual Punishment

Although the plot of the story is simple, ​A Cask of Amontillado​ by Edgar Allen Poe takes

the reader on a journey through the mind of a mad man and the intentions of revenge and

murder. Fortunato has insulted Montresor - and Montresor intends to get revenge. In ​How to

Read Literature Like a Professor​, Thomas E. Foster allows readers of this story to look deeper

and understand more than just the story. Foster presents many theories that are supported in

many different pieces of literature, including ​A Cask of Amontillado.

Poe’s villain protagonist, Montesor chooses to bury Fortunato alive after careful thought

and planning, not a killing of passion, because it is a slow excruciating death that forces

Fortunato to face his impending doom. Foster argues that the way a character dies, whether it be

by illness, accident, or murder, has an intended purpose ― and Fortunado’s death is no different.

Foster states that if something is brought up early in the story, it is important. Montresor first

points out that Fortunado had no idea that he was plotting his death; when he smiled at

Fortunato, he did not know that it “was at the thought of his immolation” (Poe, 866). Early in the

story Montresor is fixated on getting vengeance and everything is meticulously planned out. This

emphasizes the torturous death that will befall to Fortunato that is arguably worse than other

deaths, like being stabbed or shot. Unlike most deaths, Montresor does not commit any physical

violent acts against Fortunato. Foster points out that “violence is one of the most personal and
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even intimate acts between human beings” (Foster, 88). Because Montresor planned Fortunado’s

death, he did not touch him except to chain him to the wall; the death feels impersonal and

excessively cruel because he dies completely alone, buried away.

Foster claims that the geography of the story is important, which is shown in Fortunato's

death. The story is set in Italy, which is known for having underground catacombs. Before

Fortunato’s death, they literally go six feet under to “drink wine”. Poe sends Montresor and

Fortunato down to the “damp ground of the catacombs” (Poe, 867). One point Foster makes is

that “when writers send characters south, it’s so they can run amok” (Foster, 171). Montresor

“run’s amok” by killing. Poe describes the catacomb of being damp, moldy, and cold; this sets

the tone for what is to come later in the story. There can be many results from going south, but

Poe uses it to foreshadow and set the tone for Fortunato's death. Foster’s point runs true that the

geography of the story is important; it was a symbol of trouble.

One of Foster’s strongest theories is that a character that sucks the life out of another

character represents a vampire. Although Montresor doesn’t have fangs, his conflict with

Fortunato shows his vampire characteristics. Montresor convinced Fortunato to go to the wine

cellar with him by using his weakness: his “connoisseurship in wine” (Poe, 866). Montresor is

cunning and manipulative. Instead of using violence, he plans an elaborate, agonizing death for

Fortunato. Montresor is often thought of as a monster because his lack of sympathy for

Fortunato. Even when Fortunato begs Montresor to let him go, he continues to build the wall up,

isolating him. Foster points out that vampires tend to be “alluring, dangerous, mysterious,”

(Foster, 16). Because ​A Cask of Amontillado​ is from Montresor’s perspective, the reader doesn’t

learn as much about him. Despite that, Montresor tempts unsuspecting, innocent Fortunato into
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his wine cellar with the promise of Amontillado, and kills him, giving him all of those

characteristics. Foster mentions that vampirism is other things than just vampires: “selfishness,

exploitation, a refusal to respect the autonomy of other people” (Foster, 16). Montresor also

possesses all of those qualities, while he takes advantage of unsuspecting Fortunato.

Foster’s most memorable point was that irony trumps everything (Foster, 235). Irony is

seen throughout the whole story in many different forms. An example of dramatic irony

throughout the story is that Montresor reveals that he intends to kill Fortunato at the beginning of

the story, but Fortunato is unaware that he is being led to his death.Foster mentioned that “irony

… is a deflection from expectation” (Foster, 240). Fortunato’s jester costume presents lots of

irony throughout the story. There was dramatic irony when he dressed as the jester for Carnival,

but he didn’t know that he was the one being tricked. Another example of irony is that Montresor

is the true jester of the story because he is the one tricking Fortunato. Poe uses irony, like the

jester attire, to work the reader’s own expectations against them. Another piece of irony was that

Fortunato’s name means good fortune. In the beginning of the story it is revealed that Fortunato

is wealthy, which is very fortunate for him, but as the story progresses, he becomes very

unfortunate as he is buried alive.

In Foster’s book, ​How to Read Literature Like a Professor​, Foster analyzes many theories

that remain true for many works throughout time. At least four of those theories are found in ​A

Cask of Amontillado​: vampirism, geography, violence, and irony. Poe used these to enhance a

simple story about revenge to a critique on the power of words and danger of pride.