Eerie Themes of Gothic Writing - an Analysis of Edgar Allen Poe's "t

In the history of literature, there have always been different themes and genres of writing. But few have been as different or unique as that of the "gothic" literature. Of all the gothic authors of history, few writing has captured the mind and plunged it into the depths of fear as that of Edgar Allen Poe. Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado," is a story that shows us how deadly being prideful can be. Themes of dishonour, revenge and questionable justice all come together in this story. In this essay, I will discuss how the setting, irony and the lack of certain details all contribute to the gothic theme and the spine-tingling effect of the story.

The setting and clothing of the story are two of the key factors in creating an atmosphere for the story to take place in. We are first introduced to the bright and cheerful environment of a carnival. Montresor's clothing is the first to set the eerie feel to the story as he puts on "a mask of black silk and a heavy, knee-length cloak." (71) Montresor's clothing seems to reflect his mood as well as adding to the setting of the story. After this, we are introduced to Montresor's catacombs; a place of death, decay and a dark setting where Montresor can commit his crime with no one suspecting. As the pair, Montresor and Fortunato head down the catacombs, some readers cannot help but think of them as heading down into the depths of hell, as in that time, hell was thought of to be below the earth, while heaven was above. The walls of the catacombs are covered with spider webs and as they "pass through the long walls of piled skeletons." (72) They also notice a large amount of "nitre hanging like moss upon the vaults." (72) The catacombs are so dark that both Montresor and Fortunato need torches to proceed through, and this increases the sinister environment of the catacombs. Even after providing such creepy details, Poe does not stop here. He goes on to say "the foulness of the air caused our flambeaux rather to glow than flame." (73) Not only is the building corrupted, but the air in the structure is as well. All of these different factors come together to form a setting that lets our imagination picture a very horrid scene.

Irony is another factor that sets the dark mood and chilling theme of the story. The story begins with a festival that serves as some irony. The festival is a place of happiness and fun in a bright area filled with people. The fact that the murder takes place during a time of rejoice and celebration is quite ironic, especially since it is unknown at first what is going to take place. Fortunato himself displays much irony as well. First, his name resembles the word "fortune" and to have good fortune can mean to have good luck, which is obviously not what Fortunate has, having been left for eternity to perish alone in darkness. Fortunato's clothes are another source of irony. He wears the clothes of a jester, "He had on a tight-fitting parti-striped dress, and his head was surmounted by the conical cap and bells." (70) Since jesters are often portrayed as trusting and very foolish, this completely describes Fortunato as he willing and unknowingly walks with his murderer to his doom. Another source of irony is found in almost everything that Montresor says. Every time he speaks to Fortunato, he speaks to him as if he is his friend. He speaks to him with a sarcasm that is not noticeable. However, since we are inside his head, we know that Montresor is not actually friends with Fortunato and this ploy is all actually part of his plot to kill Fortunato. In the beginning, Montresor says to himself that "I must not only punish but punish with impunity." (70) This is ironic when we later find out that Montresor's family motto is "No one provokes me with impunity." From the motto and the description of the coat of