The Falling Action In Edgar Allan Poe's The Cask Of Amontillado

The falling action of the story can be classified as the segment of the story where the intent mentioned in the exposition has already taken place, in which the ramifications of the climax are described. In “The Cask of Amontillado” the Falling Action is marked by the point where the Narrator begins to mock the false-humility he carried through the prior portions of the story. The narrator asks his entrapped adversary in a jokingly serious manner if he would like to turn back. He gives him no chance to answer before giving his own answer in his place. This answer was a firm “No.”, as the Narrator knew very well Fortunato would never leave the confines of this room.
Continuing with the falling action, the Narrator reveals that hidden beneath the pile of bones was a pile of stone and mortar, no doubt placed there by the narrator at a prior time in preparation for this very night. He then used this stone and mortar to build a wall in the opening of the niche that Fortunato was chained within. He worked vigorously, stopping only when Fortunato began to moan and cry, at which point he decided to sit back atop the pile of bones and enjoy the sound of his adversary’s wails. This showed just how justified the Narrator felt in his actions
The “Denouement” of a story is defined as the

Leading the reader on a journey alongside the two main characters, slowly revealing information from the Narrators first person perspective. This information was revealed to be biased and exaggerated in the very beginning when the Narrator claimed to have suffered “A thousand injuries”. However, after following the “Unifying Effect” through the Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, and Dénouement, the reader is made aware of the message carried within this story. That message being that Justice and humility are often dependent upon