ipl-logo

What Are The Similarities Between The Cask Of Amontillado And The Lottery

1184 Words5 Pages

Elizabeth Gramlich
Ms. Schmitt
B Block
10 October, 2014

Analysis of Theme within The Cask of Amontillado and The Lottery

Unsatisfying death, in multiple forms, is the overall theme of The Cask of Amontillado and The Lottery. Theme, the underlying or main idea of a work of literature, connects the work The Cask of Amontillado, written by Edgar Allan Poe, and the work The Lottery, written by Shirley Jackson. The literary language devices that can be identified in both Poe’s and Jackson’s works, that uphold this theme, are symbolism and foreshadowing. The idea of unfair murder in The Lottery connects to the theme along with the idea of cheating murder in The Cask of Amontillado. Therefore, in the short stories, both Edgar Allan Poe and Shirley …show more content…

In The Cask of Amontillado, Poe foreshadows Fortunato cheating his murder is through his name, which means fortunate in Italian. Throughout the story, Montresor says, “I must not only punish, but punish with impunity.” (Poe, page 1) Although Fortunato still dies in the short story, he dies, not at the hands of Montresor, but because of his cough. Therefore, Fortunato’s name foreshadows him cheating death. In The Lottery, Jackson uses the name Graves to foreshadow Tessie Hutchinson’s unfair death due to the lottery. Normally, graves are what you bury your dead in and, in the short story, Mr. Graves makes the slips of paper for the lottery drawing. Consequently, Mr. Graves’ name foreshadows the killing of an innocent through the lottery. Also, the name Delacroix is used to foreshadow the death of Tessie Hutchinson. In French, Delacroix means “of the cross.” In the story, when Tessie left Mrs. Delacroix, she said, “farewell and began to make her way through the crowd.” (Jackson, page 2) This foreshadows the crowd publicly killing her in the square unfairly. Due to these names that foreshadow, the main ideas of The Cask of Amontillado and The Lottery contribute to the theme of unsatisfying …show more content…

In The Cask of Amontillado, Poe foreshadows Fortunato’s evasion of murder through his worsening condition. The short story begins with a unsteady, drunken Fortunato who is invited into Montresor’s catacombs to validate the authenticity of some Amontillado. As time passes through the story, his cough worsens to the point where he can’t talk, due to the Nitre, and he can barely stand. This foreshadows that before Montresor can murder Fortunato, Fortunato will evade by dieing from his condition. In The Lottery, Jackson foreshadows Tessie Hutchinson’s unfair death through the piles of stones. The beginning of The Lottery starts with, “a great pile of stones in one corner of the square,” that some boys had gathered, “and guarded it against the raids of the other boys.” (Jackson, page 1) When villagers started to gather in the town square, “They stood together, away from the pile of stones in the corner…” (Jackson, page 1) The actions of the villagers and the boys foreshadow that something dangerous is going to happen involving

Show More
Related

Irony In The Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allen Poe

209 Words | 1 Pages

“The Cask of Amontillado” is an ironic short story written by Edgar Allen Poe. Poe used symbolic irony to describe who his characters were, how they dressed, and the settings in which the events took place. In this short story symbolic irony was used to define how Montresor, one of the prominent characters, sought his way to redemption by repressing his friend Fortunato to his demise. Poe’s two prominent characters in “The Cask of Amontillado” was Montresor and Fortunato. Montresor, whose name means “to show fate,” is a man with a bitter heart seeking for revenge.

Read More

Humanity In The Veldt And The Lottery

1067 Words | 5 Pages

Some people see humans as a bright and inspiring species while some see the human race as an inexplicably evil and self absorbed group of primates. The Veldt by Ray Bradbury, The Cask Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe and The Lottery by Shirley Jackson highlight these inexplicable acts of murder and inhumanity. For example, in The Veldt, two children allow their parents to be mauled by lions to enable the prolonged use of the nursery. In The Lottery, people are being killed for no reason only to abide by the ways of the society, and in The Cask Amontillado, a man is left to suffer and die in a catacomb as an act of revenge for a minor slight.

Read More

Examples Of Foreshadowing In The Cask Of Amontillado

985 Words | 4 Pages

Just imagine a world without literary devices to help build up a story’s theme, that would sure be boring! In Edgar Allen Poe’s short story, “The Cask of Amontillado,” literary devices are used all throughout the story to help strengthen the theme. In this gripping short story, 2 men, Mr. Montresor and Fortunado, venture down into the catacombs of Italy in pursuit of wine. However, Mr.Montresor has another plan, and that is to kill Fortunado for wronging him in the past. As Fortunado learns his fate, he also learns the theme most present in this short story, being careful who you trust.

Read More

Is Montresor Insane

690 Words | 3 Pages

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.

Read More

What Is The Mood In The Cask Of Amontillado

1054 Words | 5 Pages

The fictional short story “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe takes place in the catacombs of Montresor’s palace, during the carnival’s climax. The story begins when Montresor, the villain of the story, vows revenge on Fortunato. Throughout the story, the author doesn't tell us what the revenge will be, but his choice of words in the details creates a mood in the reader. The author’s detailed description in the short story creates different moods in the reader like anger, satisfaction, curiosity, and victory because the chosen words connect with the audience.

Read More

Similarities Between Black Cat And The Cask Of Amontillado

1072 Words | 5 Pages

In The Cask of Amontillado the foreshadowing can been seen in very start when Montresor is talking to a person and telling about his killing and getting away with if it. The foreshadowing also can be seen when Fortunato and Montresor are getting a vine called “DeGrave” and when they are walking in there there is bodies chained and bones hanging on the walls foreshadowing Fortunato 's faith. In both stories Poe uses well placed foreshadows and they make the reader wonder more of what will happen next and how will the story end. Poes plots are

Read More

The Theme Of Premature Burial In Poe's Poe

1049 Words | 5 Pages

The theme of the premature burial is very prevalent in many of Poe’s stories. It is seen time and time again throughout his works because at the time he was writing them, the theme of premature burial or fear of being buried alive was extremely commonplace and it got people talking about his writings. It is clear to see that the theme of burial while alive is so developed and widespread in Poe’s works. This is because it is what the general public were interested in at the time and he was using this to his own benefit to gain more popularity. Poe was completely obsessed with the whole idea of being buried whilst still alive.

Read More

Pros And Cons In The Cask Of Amontillado

673 Words | 3 Pages

For those considering murder to satisfy personal needs, theres always alternatives. In “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allen Poe, Montresor, a sensitive but evil man, wanted to seek revenge by appearing concerned of the wellbeing of his victim [Fortunato] to later murder him for his own selfish reasons, “…but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge” (Poe 144). Fortunato, a jester and prideful man, fell into Montresors’ trap by not wanting Luchesi, what seems to be Fortunatos’ rival, to be the one to taste the Amontillado. Montresor takes Fortunado into the catacombs of the Montresor family in search for the Amontillado, he chains him and starts building a wall to burry him alive. Unlike many, each homicide story is unique to provide a thrilling sensation.

Read More

The Lottery Argumentative Essay

691 Words | 3 Pages

“The Lottery’s” opening lines read: “The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green. ”(Jackson 309). From this line, one can conclude that Jackson is trying to portray the village as a quaint and nice place where townsfolk gather, and no harm occurs. However, this strays far from the truth. As the story continues, the gathering abruptly changes and ultimately leads the townspeople to commit violence and murder.

Read More

The Lottery Tradition Essay

501 Words | 3 Pages

The Lottery itself represents a primal example of loss of innocence; portrayed through the young boys who gather at the town square to collect rocks for the horrors soon to follow. An illustration of how traditions can lose their true meanings and come to represent violence and warfare. Furthermore, “The Lottery” also represents the decaying characteristics of traditions, as symbolized by the town’s black box, in this case where every year, someone’s name is drawn out of the black box and they are stoned to death, by other members who may or may not end up to be family. Nonetheless, it ends up to be the villagers who

Read More

The Cask Of Amontillado Theme Essay

996 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More

The Shot Analysis

1387 Words | 6 Pages

Justice, vengeance and forgiveness are common issues amongst the characters both in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” and Pushkin’s short story “The Shot”. Both authors display intense irony and symbolism throughout their stories. Poe use these literary elements to create an interesting plot in which the reader can predict the future of the victim throughout the story.

Read More

Edgar Allan Poe Writing Style Essay

855 Words | 4 Pages

Though Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories like, The Cask of Amontillado, to his poems like, The Raven, Poe’s shows his writing style to use physical imagery and connotative syntax to show ,imagery in his writing. Throughout his life, Poe had always lived through the most chaotic and evil of time. His parents died while he was 3 years old. After his parents died, he lived with another family member who never accepted him as their own son. Later on in life, Poe had served in the military and at that point he started writing poems.

Read More

Point Of View In Poe's The Cask Of Amontillado

1004 Words | 5 Pages

The first-person point-of-view found in Poe’s "The Cask of Amontillado" is essential in creating the central theme of the story. This style of narration is also important in this particular story, because when a murderous protagonist, Montresor, is allowed to tell the story from his own perspective, the reader obtains a disconcerting look into his mental composure from the initial conjuring of his plan to the end result. The style of narration develops the unsettling tone of the story by allowing the reader to become personally acquainted with the thoughts and intentions of the protagonist. The first person point of view allows certain ironies to become evident, and furthermore, “The Cask of Amontillado” would not have been as psychologically powerful were

Read More

Symbolism In The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

926 Words | 4 Pages

This indicates that the tradition has been going on for so long, the people that grow up with this find it normal to be done. The old man who criticized the other towns that grew tired of the Lottery has been used to seeing the Lottery around for so long and had actually supported the reason behind it. Next to the rocks in symbolism was the stool as well as the black box. The black box which was used to draw the pieces of paper symbolizes the key between life and death.

Read More

More about What Are The Similarities Between The Cask Of Amontillado And The Lottery

Related Topics

Open Document