Symbolism in cask of amontillado pdf

Model Essays

Here is an introduction to a symbolic analysis of Ordinary People by Judith Guest.

Thesis Statement

STRUGGLING FOR BALANCE

Ordinary People is a very realistic novel about Calvin and Beth Jarrett and their prob- lems relating to the accidental drowning of oneof their sons, Jordan. A second son, Conrad, was with Jordan when hedrowned, and he feels a tremendous amount of guilt for surviving. He attempts suicide, and as he fights his way back to sanity, a symbolic level emerges in the novel. The author, Judith Guest, utilizes three different types oj symbols: symbolic char- acters, symbolic objects, and symbolic actions. They convey the theme that man must some- times struggle to survive. to overcome negative forces, and to achieve a balance between his emotions and his intellect.

Bob Murphy

The following introduction to a symbolic analysis of Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" follows the same pattern.

Thesis Statement

THE POWER OF TRADITION

In "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson, the people of a small town gather each year on June 27 to carry out a ritual of death. The townsperson who gets the black spot in the lottery becomes a human sacrifice for a good corn crop. This event seems totally unrealistic, sug- gesting that Jackson has written" highly symbolic story. She uses symbolic characters, objects, and actions to describe the fearful respect of the townspeople for tradition, which is carried on through generations in spite a/its inhumane consequences to the citizens them- selves. The terrible power of tradition is the powerful theme in the story.

Marius Stropus

The following student essay illustrates the overall structure and the use of the literary analysis pattern in symbolism analysis.

Thesis Statement

Topic Sentence

THE SERPENT AND THE PROUD

Since many of Edgar Allan Poe's literary works are ones of awesome horror and ma- cabre circumstances, his short story "The Cask of Amontillado'" is often accepted without being truly understood; in reality, the contents of this meaningful tale are highly symbolic, The story is related by the honorable Montresor who, because he has bean insulted by For- tunato, skillfully, patiently, and deviously plans the death of Fortunato. This death is ac- complished by luring Fortunato into the catacombs beneath the Montresar family home in search of a rare and expensive sherry. There was no sherry, as Montresor well knew. There was only death to be found. Montresor chained Fortunato and sealed him into a death cell. In this story, Poe uses symbolic characters, objects, and actions to state his theme that pride is the undoing of man.

The symbolic characters are Montresor and Fortunato. Montresor represents duty and honor. Family values and traditions are important, and Montresor describes his family coat of arms in explicit detail: " 'A huge human foot d'or, iii a field of azure; the foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs are embedded in,the heel' " (p 38). Anyone who attacked the

'Edgar Allan Poe. "The Cask of Amontillado," in Poe's Tales of Mystery and Imagination (New York: Weathervane Books, 1935). All parenthetical page references in this essay refer to the text in this edition.

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Topic Sentence

Topic Sentence

Topic Sentence

honor of the Montresor family was subject to punishment. Montresor felt compelled to up- hold his family name. It mattered not whether the task was distasteful or pleasurable. For- tunato represents pride at its most arrogant and ignorant. As Montresor states, "He had a ... weak point-this Fortunato .... He prided himself on hisconnoisseurship inwine" (p. 36). It was this pride that led him to his death; he would have no other taste the highly regarded Amontillado. Honor and pride, sometimes two strong adversaries, are well represented by the two major characters.

The symbolic objects are the serpent, the bells, the bones, the costumes, and the wine. The serpent, as depicted in the coat of arms, is the most effective as it represents Satan. How ironic that the Bible in foretelling the defeat of Satan (Genesis 3:15) 'also symbolically de- scribes him as striking a heel! The similarity between the Bible passage and the Montresor coat of arms is significant. The serpent becomes synonymous with Satan, who was but a proud angel, and with Fortunato, who was but a proud fool.The bells represent Fortunato's inarticulate babbling. Throughout the story, we hear the bells jingle as such: "The wine sparkled in his [Fortunato's] eyes and the bells jingled" (p. 38). Fortunato was always mak- ing noise but never saying anything worthwhile. In fact, he inadvertently caused his own death byputting his foot in his mouth! He wasn't even aware that he had insulted Montresor, and how significant it is that, in place of an intelligent plea for mercy, the last sound to be heard is "only a jingling of the bells" (p. 41). The bones represent the frailty and inevitable demise of man. In describing the crypt, Montresor states, "Its walls had been lined with human remains, piled to the vault overhead, in the fashion of the great catacombs of Paris" (p. 39). The wage of sin is death. Man cannot escape death. The costumes themselves are also symbolic. Fortunato had on a "tight-fitting, parti-striped dress, and his head was sur- mounted hy the conical cap and bells" (p. 36). How appropriate that Fortunato is dressed in the role of clown and fool. Montresor is caped in black which is suggestive of the role of executioner or authority (such as a priest). Mystery surrounded Montresor as he, "putting on a mask of hlack silk and drawing a roquelaure closely about ... " (p. 37), enticed For-· tunato to his home. The wine, particularly the elusive Amontillado, symbolizes the "good life" which is cheering and invigorating but leads to helpless intoxication.

The symbolic actions are the insult directed toward Montresor, the walk through the catacombs, the thrust of the torch toward Fortunato, and the murder of Fortunato. The insult directed toward Montresor depicts the one unforgivable sin. Montresor states this clearly: "The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ven- tured upon insult, I vowed revenge" (p. 36). The Bible depicts the one unforgivable sin as the sin to blaspheme the Holy Ghost. Is this yet another ironic similarity? The walk through the catacombs is suggestive of man's walk through life. Many times Montresor gives For- tunato the opportunity to turn back, but Fortunato always replies, " 'It is nothing' ... 'let us go on' " (p. 38). He was not forced to approach his death; he went willingly. The thrust of the torch toward Fortunato depicts hellfire. Montresor calls to Fortunato, but Fortunato answers not. Surely he should have released his foolish pride and begged forgiveness. How- ever, Montresor, hearing no reply, states, "I thrust a torch through the remaining aperture and let it fall within" (p. 41). In other words, since Fortunato chose to defiantly keep still, Montresor threw in the torch and, in sodoing, intimated that this was Fortunato's fate---to burn in Hell. The murder of Fortunato represents the destruction of man. Pride does not rule with righteousness. Montresor kills Fortuna to hecause honor cannot be compromised: he kills him" 'for the love of God!' " (p. 41)

And so when the reader isolates and analyzes the symbols, the meaning of the story becomes clear; pride results in the destruction of man. Montresor could not let the serpent

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Fortunato escape retribution because of his strong sense of family honor and duty. Murder was more acceptable than living with an insult inhisvalue system. Itwas hispride in himself and in his family's motto that led him to bury Fortunato alive. It was also Fortunato's pride that caused him to fall into Montresor's trap. His belief that he was the only one able to distinguish an Amontillado led to his downfall. Unfortunately, his pride and his drunken foolishness kept him from distinguishing Montresor's real motives. Poe seems to be warning us through Fortunato's fate that respecting the honor of others is essential if we are not to be dishonored. Sometimes our pride does not let us see or acknowledge how we may have injured others to glorify ourselves. At other times, our pride can lead to our undoing by making us think that we are justified in anything we do or that we are invulnerable. Poe seems to be suggesting that we must keep these values of honor and pride in perspective, and then they will work for our good rather than for our destruction.