Symbolism In The Cask Of Amontillado

Edgar Allen Poe writes "The Cask of Amontillado" to illustrate what people would do for revenge through his intriguing irony, dark themes, and symbolism. The short story starts with the narrator describing his determination to get revenge on Fortunato, who has caused him a “thousand injuries”. The narrator believes he can get revenge by using Fortunato’s pride on his wine connoisseurship. One night, in the peak of carnival season, the narrator informs Fortunato that he bought Amontillado, a rare brandy, but he has his doubts. The narrator lures Fortunato to come with him to his vaults to verify the wine’s authenticity and to drink together. They descend to the catacombs to retrieve the Amontillado, where the narrator keeps making Fortunato drink wine to get him more drunk. They pass through piles of bones and caskets, but Fortunato might be too drunk to see and understand. The narrator then leads Fortunato into a niche, where he chains Fortunato there. He then

Many uses of symbolism are in the "Cask of Amontillado". The Montresor family crest with a motto of "No one attacks me without punishment" and depicts “a huge human foot d’or, in a field azure; the foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs are imbedded in the heel”(3). This foreshadows what is about to happen to Fortunato. Another symbol found in the story is Fortunato’s outfit of a jester. It symbolizes his foolishness and unawareness of the situation. Fortunato was too focused on the wine that it led to his death. The underground catacombs are a symbol of Montresor’s dark and evil thoughts, while the surface is his happiness or the mask he puts on to hide his darkness. Fortunato is caught in Montresor’s dark thoughts and doesn’t end well for him. Symbolism plays an important role in giving the story a deeper meaning and Poe uses it intelligently in the story to illustrate the revenge Montresor badly