Category: The Cask of Amontillado

It was Edgar Allan Poe’s belief that short stories should be told with only one aim in mind, that of achieving a single effect upon the viewer by the time the story ends.

Joy, despair, horror, tragedy, whatever the emotion, it must be established early on in the story, as early as the first few lines if possible, in order to achieve its fullest impact with the readers. As such, he insured that all his short stories had incidents and events that helped moved the story along from the get-go.

The very first words uttered by the author at the start of the story carried the hook necessary to reel the reader into the story with the desired effect. This is all done so that by the end of the story, the reader will have a sense of satisfaction and the writer will have achieved his pre-established story design.

For me, the best Edgar Allan Poe story that truly embodies the definition of a single effect would have to be “The Cask of Amontillado”. It is my opinion that this story effectively fulfills the requirements for the single effect story telling policy of Poe. I will explain how that is done in the succeeding paragraphs below.

Horror. That is the central theme that The Cask of Amotillado revolved upon amidst the backdrop of revenge among friends masked by drunkenness and gay festivities that blur the line between friend and foe. Set at night during the carnival season, the quick transition from the gay festivities of the European night streets to the somber, dark, damp, and terrifying catacombs clearly aids in establishing the upcoming horrors that shall unfold for the unsuspecting Fortunato.

There could have been many ways in which Poe could have presented the point of view of the characters in The Cask Of Amontillado, but he chose to present it from the point of view of Montresor. The reason behind this is that by presenting the sometimes clouded memories of the antagonist in the story, he is able to present us with a memorable and effective lead character.

By making him an unreliable narrator, he keeps with his single effect principle, deciding to use a character that would immediately grip our imagination and offer a study into the twisted mind of an alcoholic criminal.

The same could not have been said if he opted to use the viewpoint of Fortunato because there would be a lack of gripping clarity in storytelling since Fortunato is the victim in the tale and was knocked out while most of the events were unfolding. The story would in effect have lost its sense of suspense since, as a reader, there would be no way that we would ever know what was passing through Montresor’s mind as he implemented his evil deed.

As Montresor continues to reveal the weaknesses of his friend for the readers, Poe continues to build up the suspense as he involves the readers by making one wonder as to how Monteresor will exact his vengeance upon his drunken friend. Therefore, the single effect of this short story is made quite clear by its main character, that of the horrific death of his close friend as told by its the perpetrator.

Having said that, we can see that Poe has chosen the best way by which to set the scenes for the story that is about to unfold. Each and every sentence that he wrote was meant to, and successfully advances the story to the next, heightened level of horror as only he could write using his single effect theory.

There is no mistaking the fact that the horror unfolding before the reader’s eyes, calling into question whether Montresor even thought about the moral, never-mind the psychological, implications of his actions.

I still remember the chill that I felt upon reading the lines ” The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could; but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge.” I knew that it was a foreshadowing of what was to come for the unfortunate friend, yet, I still could not understand why he had to do it.

In The Cask of Amontillado, these lessons and themes are taught through the vivid use of irony, foreshadowing, and metaphor. The irony of these two friends sitting together and sharing a drink, discussing wine vintages, while Montresor bides his time before snuffing out the life of the man he once considered his friend.

The foreshadowing of the walk within the concrete catacombs where his friend would soon be imprisoned to die, and finally, the metaphor represented by the family motto of Montresor, “Nemo me impune lacessit”, are all crucial elements of the single effect principle that Poe worked hard to present within this short story masterpiece.

The Cask of Amontillado is one of the best examples of effective and impressive single effect short stories. From the very first line of the story, to the very last word uttered, the reader will find himself on a dark roller-coaster ride of human emotions, feeling the horror that the poorly named Fortunato experienced as the final brick was laid by Montresor at his final resting place.

During the specific day that the trial took place, Montresor, the defendant, entered the courtroom for the verdict to be read. The entire courtroom was packed, and whispers were heard from the people. The murmurs were because the individuals heard about the inhuman act that Montresor had done to Fortunato, but eventually, everybody settled, including the perpetrator. The prosecutor started by stating that the evidence found incriminated Montresor for the murder of Fortunato. The prosecuting attorney continued by indicating that they had found the victim’s bones left beneath a house that belonged to the culprit (Poe, 2017). The DNA test conducted on the bones proved that they belonged to Fortunato, causing the jury to mumble in low tones.

The district attorney went ahead by indicating that it was impossible to prove that Fortunato went to the place where he was killed by force or willingly. It was possible to verify that the murderer covered the killing. The prosecutor supported his claim by indicating that the victims’ bones were found behind what seemed like a wall made from bricks (Poe, 2017). The judge took a look at the photos presented before him and shook his head. The Fortunato’s attorney went ahead to specify that remains were found in a catacomb room underneath together with other human bones. The other bones found together with the deceased bones suggested that the perpetrator may have been involved in killing other individuals. The respondent looked down blatantly as the attorney presented further evidence to the judge.

The defense attorney’s time to speak came, and he stated that Montresor highly regretted his actions and was remorseful. The public defender noted that Montresor was a sick person and never understood what he was doing since he was insane. The attorney specified that an individual with an insane mind does not comprehend or is not familiar with their actions (Poe, 2017). He continued to plead with the court to allow the defendant to be taken to a mental hospital. The defense attorney detailed that Montresor needed to be treated to avoid similar situations or cases from reoccurring. He supported his plea by demonstrating that insane individuals capable of killing should be kept away from society and subjected to medical care from professionals.

Montresor’s insane condition resulted in him having an obsession with the victim. The situation intensified when the attention that the suspect was seeking could not be reciprocated by the deceased. The attorney persuaded the judge to recommend the jury to allow the defendant to be put under psychiatrist care to improve the suspect’s condition. The public attorney argued that Montresor was suffering from depression for a prolonged period due to his obsession with Fortunato (Poe, 2017). The defense attorney’s arguments started to attract attention from the jury. The public attorney told the jury that if the defendant was convicted for life due to his insanity, it might have led to more stress, leading to attempts to end his life. He argued that individuals who suffer from depression tend to have suicidal thoughts. The attorney urged the jury members to be considerate and allow Montresor to seek medical help.

As the public defender tried to convince the jury, the judge was busy taking notes. The jury found itself in a dilemma of differentiating between unstable psychological conditions whereby Montresor’s mental disorder changes with time. Conversely, the pathological condition in which the defendant finds himself makes him torture his victims. The jury concluded that the defendant was in a stable state of mind since he could remember everything that happened fifty years ago. Montresor went angry after Fortunato told him that he was a freemason and decided to torment him, causing Fortunato’s death. The jury argued that the accused was not insane because he was a mason and ruled Montresor jailed for life.

Reference

Poe, E. (2017). The Cask of Amontillado. In R. Levine, The Norton Anthology of American Literature: Beginnings to 1865 (9th ed., pp. 785 – 790). Norton, W. W. & Company.