The Cask Of Amontillado Essay

Novelist Joan Lingard once said, “Settings are obviously important - and as a writer, you have to respect what was real at the time of the story you're writing,” (“Brainy Quotes”). This is very true because the setting can dictate the whole story. The atmosphere, weather, actions of the people, and other elements can affect the setting of a story. “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allen Poe depicts an eerie and morbid setting to compliment the dark nature of the tale. The carnival, catacombs, and a vault makeup the setting of the story. The initial setting of the story is a carnival. Many people would associate a carnival with games, petting zoos, rides, and overall fun times with friends and family. It is also described to be “almost dark, one evening in the spring” (Poe #). This would be a peaceful and nice time of the day. However, Poe twists our idea of a carnival with the main character, Montresor’s vengeful mind and accelerates the rush of darkness with Montresor’s plans for revenge. A possibility as to why a carnival was chosen is because it represents freedom in some ways due to roaming, abundance of fresh air, and the fun nature of the place. It represented
The vault was described to have bones scattered on the ground and equipped with an opening in the middle of it that led into another vault that was “a little room about three feet wide, six or seven feet high, and perhaps four feet deep,” (Poe #). It was obvious many people die in the vault, although it may not have buried ancestors of Montresor’s. Fortunato is coerced into the small opening and chained to the wall. The tiny vault represented his finally loss of freedom. The setting could also represent the mind of Montresor. It is revealed that he was retelling the story, so his mind is trapped along with Fortunato’s corpse. It is possible he felt guilt and could not get over his misdeeds or it was just a madness festering in his