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Use of irony in short stories
Use of irony in short stories
Now and then character analysis
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Use of irony in short stories
Use of irony in short stories
Now and then character analysis
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
In the story ¨The Cask of Amontillado¨ by Edgar Allan Poe is a powerful story about revenge that takes readers into the mind of a murderer. Montresor is a perfect example of an unreliable narrator because he was capable of burying Fortunato into a vault. He vows revenge on Fortunato for an insult. He can’t be trusted, even if he’d be lying about Fortunato’s death. Fortunato´s name means ¨fortunate¨ which in reality, he didn 't really turn out that way.
Man has been known to be the cruellest animal on our planet and since we are at the top of the food chain we can do anything we want to our planet and also other people. Our kind is so cruel that we destroy our world for the need of resources and we can even be cruel to each other. Humans throughout history have always been at war with each other over land, greed, culture and revenge. Revenge and greed are both prominent in the short stories Stone Mattress and The Cask of Amontillado. Both of these short stories have great examples of greed and revenge in them and that they are similar but both are set differently.
Due to the use of first person in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” Montresor’s syntax and diction are the only mechanisms used to characterize Fortuno in the story. This subjects the perception of both Fortuno and Montresor to a great deal of bias. Although Montresor claims that Fortuno has committed “a thousand injuries” (127) there are never any specific instances of his treachery cited within the text.
At the beginning of the story the narrator chooses the setting of Carnival. When one thinks of the carnival, the thought of joyful people, celebration and social interaction comes to mind. No one would have thought that that was the precise moment for Montresor to take revenge. The name of Fortunato itself is ironic, because the name of Fortunato means fortune in Italy. When Montresor reveals the audience that he “had fettered [Fortunato] to the granite”, the scene sends chills throughout the reader’s body (Poe 471).
In “The Cask of Amontillado”, Edgar Allan Poe displays the theme of revenge and manipulation. The narrator Montresor pledges revenge on Fortunato for an insult that is never explained. He maintains an appearance of goodwill towards Fortunato and decides to make use of Fortunato's weakness for fine wines against him. During the carnival season, the narrator approaches Fortunato, telling him that he has come across something that could pass for Amontillado a rare and expensive wine. Fortunato being excited about the news insists on accompanying Montresor to the vaults to determine whether it is Amontillado or not.
Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “The Cask of Amontillado” is the narrative of a man named Montresor who seeks vengeance against a man named Fortunato. Fortunato insults Montresor. Next, Montresor meet Fortunato at a carnival, eventually luring him into the catacombs of his home to bury Fortunato alive. Moreover, different types of irony are portrayed in this short story. Dramatic irony consists of the character in the story knowing less about his or her situation than the reader.
The Cask of Amontillado vs the Masque of The Red Death Who would have thought that “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Masque of the Red Death” had so many similarities throughout? A small amount distinguishable features are very much present, as well. They seem to both be trying to subtly get the same point across. As the stories progressed, many points were touched upon in similar ways.
Revenge is a popular theme explored in most facets of literature and other forms of entertainment. The popularity of the use of revenge in stories stems from people’s natural habit of reciprocation and the ordinary person’s lack of power in the real world. This kind of retribution is a main pillar of both Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask Of Amontillado” and Ha Jin’s “Saboteur”. While these stories may contrast from one another in their execution of the revenge, the themes behind said revenge have some pivotal similarities. Both stories are based around a character that has been pushed to his limits and seeks nothing short of death for vengeance.
Fortunato is very disgusted in the way that he was insulted but now is his time for revenge. The text states, “The thousand injuries of Fortunato i had borne as best I could but when he ventured to insult, I vowed
Everybody will eventually want revenge on an old friend or just someone they know. Montressor, similar to many people in the world, wants revenge on one of his old friends, Fortunato. The story opens with, “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as best I could; but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge” (Poe 212). In this statement, Montressor tells the reader what the cause of his revenge against Fortunato is. “The Cask of Amontillado”, written by Edgar Allen Poe, tells the story of how Montressor brings Fortunato into the catacombs to bury him alive.
The first aspect of irony, in the story is of the characters name Fortunato. It is derived from the word “Fortun” which means fortunate. This makes it an ironic name to have for a man that is about to an unfortunate fate. Fortunato is definitely
The author's choice of words helps create the mood of shock because he describes Montresor’s actions after Fortunato gets a sense of what is being done to him. The author’s description keeps readers in shock because they can’t believe how cold Montresor was. Even though he never showed the side of him, he had it all along. The author’s use of words in the description makes the readers feel like they are in the story wondering what will happen next. Poe wanted the reader to understand what was going on in the “Cask of Amontillado”, so he wrote a detailed story choosing words that connected with his readers.
Edgar Allan Poe is most famous for the gothic themes he presents in his writings, this was no exception for Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”. Several important ideas are brought up about the story’s central theme of revenge. These ideas can be broken down into 3 parts: the incentive, the extent, and the reaction of the person partaking in revenge. It is essential to consider these ideas while reading Poe’s story, in order to comprehend his views on revenge. It also provides the reader the ability to question their own views on revenge as well as compare it with Poe’s.
In “The Cask of Amontillado” there are two characters who show strong character traits. Each character has his own way of showing these traits. Montresor shows his through how he deals with Fortunato’s insults. Fortunato shows his through how easily Montresor manipulates him. Throughout the story Montresor and Fortunato show that they are both very clever, but one of them becomes far more clever than the other.
The final way irony is used is dramatic irony, this can be seen by any reader, this occurs when Montresor speaks to Fortunato and he states he is a mason as well. This was stated to put Fortunato at ease as we are to assume Fortunato was a freemason, Fortunato asks for a sign and Montresor produces a trowel, one of the working tools of a Mason, moreover this seems to convince Fortunato that his friend is a freemason. Montresor may also have been alluding to the plan to wall up Fortunato using bricks and mortar. Montresor was using the word mason as in someone who builds with stone and mortar, because he will be building Fortunato 's tomb, a stone wall.