Introduction
Cask of Amontillado conventionally means a jar of wine. Montresor who is the narrator in this story starts the story by saying that a close friend has wronged him and he is now on a mission to seek revenge. On his mission, he decides to use Fortunato’s love for wine against him. He wants to carry out the revenge in a way that he will not hurt himself. Since Fortunato loves sherry a lot, he agrees to go with Montresor to the vaults to taste the sherry. During this time, Montresor has sent his workers on leave so that he can plan for the revenge and execute it. Since the vaults are full of niter, Fortunato feels agitated and starts to cough (Walter, P6) The narrator promises to take him back home, but he insists that the remedy to his coughs is wine.
All this while, Montresor plans to ensure that Fortunato is drunk before he ties and buries him alive. The story tries to bring out the theme of revenge carried out brutally. Revenge is carried out secretly in a way that no one can notice. The story has many moral lessons to the readers.
Characterization
The characters in the story bring out various themes. The story might be a true reflection of what goes on in the society today. Montresor, the storyteller, is portrayed in the story as a character who is a good schemer. Before inviting Fortunato to taste the wine, he plans well. He first sends his workers to the carnival so that he is left with Fortunato alone. He wants to execute the revenge in a way that no one will notice. He has perfected the art of mysterious murder. When inviting Fortunato the vault, he is also cautious to capture his attention. He does not want him to turn down the invite, so he threatens him that Luchesi who is another wine lover has accepted the offer. Fortunato does not want to lose this chance, so he is forced to follow Montresor into the catacombs. The smartness of Montresor is also evident in the way she treats Fortunaot when they are in the vault. He promises to take him back home to remove any doubts that Fortunato might have. Fortunato on the other side is depicted as a gullible person. He is so easy to convince. Since he knows there is a problem between him and Montresor, he should have questioned the invite without letting his love for wine make the decision( Walter, P4). He does not doubt the fact that they are going to walk in the vault with a person he had wronged before.
Symbolism
The use of metaphor is widespread in the story. First, the manner in which Fortunato dresses conveys a lot about his thinking ability. He puts on a carnival garb which is described as “The man wore motley. He had on a tight-fitting parts-striped dress, and the conical cap and bells surmounted his head.” The dress code truly depicts his character as a fool who is not able to look critically into the actions of another person. Montresor has also been used as a symbol in the short story. His name means treasure. It stands for the treasure that he has which is the ability to execute secret revenge without being caught. As they walk in the catacombs, they keep referring to the niter. The niter is a symbol of the trap that has been used to capture Fortunato. The setting itself is also a symbol in one way. A vault is a place where dead bodies are buried. It shows the death that will eventually take place in the catacombs once Fortunato has agreed to follow the narrator. The season in which the story is cast is also a symbol. It is the season of the carnival. It shows the anger and needs for revenge that is in Montresor’s mind at the start of the story (Walter, P10).
Setting
The story takes place in the catacombs during the season of the carnival. It is evident that the season represents the celebration of freedom. Both Montresor and Fortunato take part in this event at the beginning of the story. The country where the story is based is in Italy. The catacombs also provide a clear picture of the story. It is a place where dead bodies are buried; this implies that since Montresor is on a revenge mission, it is likely that death will occur in that specific setting. The title of the story shows a context in which one is confined. It is later evident as Montresor traps Fortunato. His love for wine makes him vulnerable in the hands of Montresor (Walter, P7).
Conclusion
The story which is based in Italy provides a good literature resource material that can be used at different levels of study. The theme of revenge is evident in the story, and the way in which it is executed is different from the way revenge is always performed in other stories. Different characters have been built to fit well in their respective roles. The use of symbolism and irony help in conveying the message that the author wants to pass across. The ability of the author to come up with fiction stories is not in doubt. He can capture the concentration of the reader throughout the story. The story has the moral lesson that one should always think twice before trusting an idea from any person.
Works cited
Walter, Stepp. The Ironic double in Poe’s ‘The cask of Amontillado’. Baltimore: Baltimore Publishers, 1976.
