Irony and Symbolism in Poe\'s

Irony and Symbolism in Poe's Cask Of Amontillado

Symbolism and Irony in Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado"

Edgar Allan Poe is well-known for his tales of the grotesque and macabre. Many of Poe's short stories are told from an unreliable narrator's perspective and allow the reader insight into the thought processes of the stories' characters. In "The Cask of Amontillado," Montressor, the story's narrator, baits his friend Fortunato into following him to a dark wine cellar with the intent to immure him and exact his revenge. While many of Poe's unreliable characters appear to be afflicted with a mental disorder, the narrator in "The Cask of Amontillado" appears to behave based solely on a past slight against him. In "The Cask of Amontillado," symbolism and irony play a major role in the narrative's plot and character development.

In the story, Fortunato's love of wine, and its subsequent effects on his judgment, is used to comment on the social issue of temperance and the dangers of alcohol. Montressor is able to lure Fortunato into the cellar by appealing to his love of wine. Poe writes Fortunato "prided himself on his connoisseurship in wine," which Montressor exploits to his own advantage (Poe 274). Had Fortunato not loved wine, he would not have fallen into Montressor's trap.

Symbolism is also used as foreshadowing. As the two men descend deeper into Montressor's wine vaults, the conversation turns to Montressor's family crest and motto. Montressor explains that his family crest is "[a] huge human foot d'or, in a field azure; the foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs are imbedded in the heel" and the family motto is "Nemo me impune lacessit, which can be translated to "No one attacks me with impunity" (276). From these symbols, and the story's opening line of "The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as best I could," Poe foreshadows what is going to happen to Fortunato and the influence Montressor's family background has on him (274). The family crest portends that Montressor will use whatever is in his power to crush his enemies or people that inflict pain on him, which is reinforced by his family motto. Paradoxically, based on the outcome of the story, it can be argued that the snake in the crest is not poisonous or else Fortunato's "bite" would have had more severe consequences on Montressor; however, the story ends with Montressor getting away in Fortunato's murder.

Symbolic foreshadowing can also be seen in the conversation about masons between Montressor and Fortunato. As Fortunato questions Montressor about being a mason, Montressor assures his victim that he is and pulls out a trowel "from beneath the folds of [his] roquelaire" (277). Ironically, Fortunato is asking if Montressor is a Freemason and not a mason by trade. Furthermore, Montressor's assertion that he is a mason also hints at how he will carry out his revenge.

Lastly, symbolism and irony are evident in the characters' names. Montressor's name can be loosely translated into my treasure, which can refer to the type of slight that was committed against him by Fortunato as he is the only one that knows how he was insulted, or it can refer to him turning things into hidden treasures, like he does when he buries Fortunato. On the other hand, Fortunato's name is wrought with irony as his name can be loosely translated to lucky one, which he is most definitely not.