Emily Rodgers Mrs. Jaillet Advanced English 10 26 October 2015 Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” Analysis Essay Haunting, dark, vivid, and fearful are all terms associated with the 1800s Gothic Era. Described as having a childhood and young adult life that was characterized by darknessboth Poe’s mother and lover dying horrific deathsit is no surprise that Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories and poems meet all the criteria for this eerie writing age. In his short story, “The Cask of Amontillado,” Poe uses visual and auditory imagery and ironic diction to create a mood of suspense. “The Cask of Amontillado” is a story full of twists and turns, and Poe's use of visual and auditory imagery helps intensify the suspenseful mood. Fortunado and …show more content…
Later on, as they get deeper into the cellar, Fortunado is drunk and being chained to a wall, and when he realizes what is going on, "a succession of loud and shrill screams [burst] suddenly from [his] throat." As Montresor's plot is finally unveiling, the amount of tension and suspense is rapidly increasing. Fortunado's screams are so thoroughly detailed, that the reader can almost hear his horror and his terror at being buried alive. Leaving the reader craving more, Poe's use of visual and auditory imagery is not only exciting but suspenseful as well. Poe takes the saying "say what you mean and mean what you say" and turns it around when using ironic diction to expand the amount of suspense between Montresor and Fortunado. On the trip down into the cellar, Montresor, getting Fortunado drunk, toasts a drink saying, "And I [drink] to your long life." Montresor plans on killing Fortunado, and his claim makes him