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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 7 page research paper that examines Edgar Allan Poe's "the Cask of Amontillado" and "The Fall of the House of Usher." The writer argues that it is possible to gain a deeper appreciation of Poe's skill at using the horrific and the gothic to delve into the darker recesses of the human psyche. Bibliography lists 8 sources.
Page Count:
7 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khpoeg2.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
fiction actually confirms that these elements will be a part of the overall narrative. Two of his short stories, "The Cask of Amontillado" and "T he Fall of the House
of Usher," combine Poes focus on gothic elements with the theme of premature burial, which makes these two of Poes most horrific tales. By examining these stories, it is
possible to gain a deeper appreciation of Poes skill at using the horrific and the gothic to delve into the darker recesses of the human psyche. In "The Cask
of Amontillado," Poe has his protagonist narrate his incredible plan for revenge against a man who he feels has insulted himself and his family. Unsuspecting, thinking only of tasting from
a cask of Amontillado wine, Fortunato follows Montressor into the family catacombs, which are "wet and cavernous." All of the elements of the setting combine to create a feeling of
tension, doom and dread. Some critics also argue that the setting and the circumstances of Fortunatos death are layered with symbolic meaning. For example, Gruesser argues that by pinioning
Fortunato in a upright position and by then placing him in a tomb, Montressor "unwittingly" reenacts the crucifixion (129). In other words, the evil of his actions will haunt him
all his days. This appears to be true as Montressor is compulsively confessing his evil fifty years later. Other critics agree that Poe weaves a great deal of symbolism
into this tale. For example, Cervo points the Montessor family coat of arms bears similarities to that of Scotlands Order of the Thistle. Cervo states that the "important
similitude" is the image of the foot stepping to its own destruction. In other words, this provides one more hint to Fortunato, if he had the knowledge to see it,
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