Cask on Amontillado
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An Analysis of Symbolism in "The Cask of Amontillado"
Edgar Allan Poe's short stories are "Gothic" literature. The setting is gloomy, dark, and threatening; the events taking place are strange, melodramatic, and evil. In "The Cask of Amontillado," Montressor leads his nemesis, Fortunado, into his vaults to taste a special sherry; once there, however, Montressor chains Fortunado up and traps him in the vaults, killing him. Poe uses symbolism to convey the idea there are dangers with excessive pride.
First of all, the black silk mask and "roquelaire" (598), or cape, which Montressor puts on before entering the catacombs, represents the devil or death. They represent and tell the reader what Montressor has planned. His "getting even" is evil and will mean death to Fortunato, whose name, meaning fortunate, does not ring true. Montressor's pride is in the way of the fact that he can disregard the wrong deed of Fortunado. The coat of arms of Montressor's family is perhaps the best example of symbolism in the whole story. Montressor's description of it is "A huge human foot d'or, in a field azure; the foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs are imbedded in the heel" (599)...