Short Story Analysis Paper on ” The Cask of Amontillado” Essay Example

Short Story Analysis Paper on ” The Cask of Amontillado” Essay Example

Short Story Analysis Paper on “The Cask of Amontillado”

The short story, “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allen Poe is a fascinating narrative that brings into light the conflict of love and hate between the protagonist of the story, Montresor, and the antagonist, Fortunato. The story is a masterpiece that creates an impression on the reader due to its love, hate, cruelty, gloominess, and hidden intentions among the characters. However, “The Cask of Amontillado” is a masterfully crafted narrative with overlapping events that highlight changes in plot, settings, characters, style, and also a storyline that is high in suspense. Through the paper, the narrator superbly brings out the theme of love and hate which is perfectly amplified by the setting, characterization, and symbolism through the interaction of Montresor the main character, and Fortunato the antagonist in the story.

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The setting of the story perfectly helps the author to amplify the theme of love and hate. The narrator brings into focus the different settings from the meeting of the two friends coincidentally into having a conversation about where to go for their wine exploration. The initial setting depicts the love the two characters shared in their life and the indefectible trust that Fortunato had with Montresor.  It is this love that prompts Fortunato to prevent Montresor from contacting Luchesi. As a friend, Fortunato feels that he is the most suited friend to help Montresor identify the quality of the amontillado wine. However, this setting of love and free talk soon changed into another seemingly dark setting in the vaults. It is also love for Montresor that makes Fortunato suggest they go to examine the wine in Montresor’s vaults. According to the narration, Montresor depicts one-sided hatred for Fortunato and this expresses the impact of the power of mind distortion in relationships since he is able to twist seemingly minor upsets into irreversible rivalry. The hatred that Montresor has for Fortunato is soon revealed in the vaults and the once friendly talk gradually reduces into Fortunato begging for mercy from the friend.  The theme of love and hate shows that it is difficult to separate love from hate and these two seem to be closely related human emotions. This is because the narrator is a person who loves his life and lives stylishly but when the emotion of hate strikes his thoughts he becomes the incarnate that finally devours his friend.

The characterization of the story excellently brings out the theme of love and hate. The character of Montresor is brought out from the beginning of the story as a bitter person as a result of Fortunato’s insults that have been hurled at him. From start to end the only thing that racks in the narrator’s mind is how to execute his hatred with impunity against Fortunato. However, the type of hatred is said to emanate from insults and abuse directed towards him by the antagonist who is not clearly reviewed in the story. However, the plans to execute this hatred through revenge are perfectly expressed to the reader. To perfectly execute this hatred, Montresor first depicts the attribute of great love and favor to his friend who swiftly falls into the trap. He is able to conceal the hatred he has for Fortunato due to the insults and talk to him with a friendly tone as always. On the other hand, Fortunato is a loving person who likes to warm the moments and make his accomplice feel pleasured. This is the reason he dedicates his time and expertise to tasting wine which is a great show of love to a close friend Short Story Analysis Paper on ” The Cask of Amontillado” Essay Example

The narrator applies symbolism throughout the story to superbly elevate the theme of love and hate. For instance, Fortunato appears dressed in a ‘motley’ which is referred to as the fool’s costume. This type of dressing brings the first impression of a reckless character and it greatly helps advance more hate towards him by Montresor.  In addition, the name Fortunato comes from the word ’fortunate’ that depicts an individual who is loved. But, in the story, this is a symbol of an unfortunate person who is faced with hatred from others. In addition, the symbol of Montresor’s “Family Crest” emerges as a strong depiction of the hatred he had for Fortunato. The crest showed a golden foot that was stepping on the biting snake. The crest is also an important symbol that marks the tenets of Montresor that any wrong done to an in individual should be returned with lethal venom. For instance, Montresor’s imaginative language for Fortunato is disturbing and depicts deep hatred. He imagines about ‘immolation’ of Fortunato burning to his death in eternal hell and also refers to him as a ‘formidable foe’ even when Fortunato is friendly and loving towards him. Wine is an important symbol of love and hate in the story. It represents the fact that it makes people happy and helps them express themselves in a loving manner. However, the impact of wine also helps create hatred and in this case, it depicts Fortunato as a foolish person who easily falls prey to hatred from a friend. Short Story Analysis Paper on ” The Cask of Amontillado” Essay Example.

The story is a perfect depiction of love and hate which is elevated through setting, characterization, and symbolism. Through the story, the characters of Montresor and Fortunato are brought out and it is clear that Montresor is a cunning person with deep hatred towards others. Symbolism also brings out the aspect of love and hate where wine depicts the symbol of pleasure foolishness and one that makes Montresor have more hatred in Fortunato.

References

Poe Edgar Allan. “The Cask of Amontillado”. file:///C:/Users/hp/Downloads/266590__the-works-of-edgar-allan-poe-the-cask-of-amontillado_679cffd744804.pdf.pdf 
The-works-of-edgar-allan-poe-the-cask-of-amontillado

 

Short Story Analysis Paper on ” The Cask of Amontillado” Essay Example Assignment:

Select a theme you wish to explore, such as blindness, race, family, marriage, quest, betrayal, sin, death, love, the relationship between men and women, appearance versus reality, etc.

Choose a short story/stories, from our syllabus that deal with this theme. You may need to read the story/stories several times, taking notes as you go.

Go through the story/stories and mark how the author uses narrative, character, setting, symbolism, etc., to convey that theme. Then, write an analysis of the short story/stories; employ as many of the literary terms that we have studied as you legitimately can to present a thorough literary analysis of how the theme “works” in the story/stories you have selected (as if to enlighten an educated reader about the important aspects of this particular short story.) You must select AT LEAST TWO of these techniques. Some of those literary terms are:

setting

plot

characterization

conflict

symbolism

point of view

irony

tone

stereotypes

exposition

rising action

falling action

climax

foreshadowing

flashback

protagonist

 

Construct a thesis that indicates a) your focus, and b) the relation of that focus to the story as a whole. For example, a thesis for “A Good Man is Hard to Find” might be: Characterization and irony help convey O’Connor’s theme that perhaps we should first be good men ourselves rather than judging others. For “The Cask of the Amontillado,” a thesis might be: The narrator’s revelations of his own vices as well as the actions of Fortunato underscore the lesson in this short story: overwhelming pride leads to ruin. Though not as obvious as the first thesis, the second thesis will focus on narrative/Point of View and characterization. To use more than one story, you might argue: Lack of communication can lead to disaster in marriage, as it does in the stories “The Yellow Wallpaper,” “Story of an Hour,” and “The Jewelry.” Another one might be: “The use of foreshadowing in the stories “A Cask of Amontillado” and “A Good Man is Hard to Find” helps create tension and interest. Also note that there is some latitude in assigning meaning to a short story. What I see as the major theme may be different than what you see. The important criterion to keep in mind is: can you prove it? Therefore, you need a thesis because you are arguing for your interpretation of the story. The thesis should not be so obvious that your reader will say “so what?” Don’t settle for trite generalizations. Instead, make a statement which indicates thought and depth, and which requires support and proof. Your goal should be to illuminate for the readers some point that they might not have noticed upon first reading the story.

Find evidence in the text to support your thesis, and organize the rest of your essay around these quotations and examples. Don’t rely on generalizations about or paraphrases of the story to convince your reader, but provide specific evidence and discuss the importance of that evidence for your thesis. Please note: you should not insert huge chunks of quotes in your paper and count that against your minimum page length. Roughly 70% of the paper should be your own words and thoughts.

Conclude your Short Story Analysis Paper on ” The Cask of Amontillado” Essay Example paper by summing up your argument so that the readers see that your evidence does support your thesis.

Format and Conventions:

1) Put quotation marks around story titles.

2) Follow direct quotations with the author’s last name (not the editors’ name or the title) and page numbers from your text, in parentheses. Close the quotation marks before the citation; put the end punctuation after it. For example: “Thus she passed from generation to generation—dear, inescapable, impervious, tranquil, perverse” (Faulkner 31).

3) Always write about literature in the present tense and do not use “I” statements.

4) Your essay should be analytical, thus you should not waste your (or your reader’s) time with plot summary.

5) Your paper should be typed, double–spaced, on 8 1/2″ by 11″ white paper. In the upper left-hand corner of your first page, include:

Your name

Prof. McLore; ENG102 and section number

The date

Assignment (Short Story Analysis)

Below this block of information, center your title; begin your text below that. Use an interesting, informative title—“Paper #1” is mildly informative, but completely uninteresting. Number your pages (starting with the first) in the top right-hand corner, with your last name and the page number. This should be in the Header/Footer area of the paper.

It is important to write succinctly. DO NOT JUST RE-TELL THE STORY. DO NOT risk plagiarism – if you use information from our textbook, then you must cite that information correctly – the Norton Anthology discusses how to write a paper, including how to document outside sources; DO NOT write a plot outline—this assignment is to analyze: what is the author “saying” to the reader. What literary techniques and conventions does he or she use to say it? What is the “point” of the story? Does it show us anything worthwhile about people or about life? Keep your discussion focused on analyzing how the THEME works within the short story. Short Story Analysis Paper on ” The Cask of Amontillado” Essay Example.