Compare And Contrast Poe And The Cask Of Amontillado

Poe’s relation to The Cask of Amontillado
The story “The Cask of Amontillado” is a short story full of revenge, hatred and ultimately death. Many believe that this story is made entirely from Poe’s imagination. In reality, Poe used events that occurred in his own life to write the majority of the plot in this story. Poe based most of the story off of his alcohol addiction, his family’s deaths from tuberculosis, and the dark and often macabre times that he had experienced in his life.
Poe utilized many of his own life experiences when writing the fictional story, “The Cask of Amontillado.” The antagonist in the story, Fortunato, was highly addicted to alcohol. The story states “He accosted me with excessive warmth, for he had been drinking much.” (Poe) Another excerpt from the story states, “He turned toward me and looked into my eyes with filmy orbs that distilled the rheum of intoxication.” (Poe) Tragically, Poe was highly addicted

Fortunato experienced a dark moment when he was being controlled by Montresor. “Thus speaking, Fortunato possessed himself of my arm.” (Poe) Fortunato also experienced a dark moment when he was locked and chained into a small room and was left until he died, as stated in the short story. “Throwing the links about his waist, it was but the work of a few seconds to secure it.” (Poe) The feelings of helplessness and desperation that describe Fortunato’s death, are again relatable to Poe’s life. Poe was left alone with no family at a very young age. As noted in Poe Edgar Allan, "His father deserted the family. After his mother died in 1811". (Ljunquist) Poe’s constant struggle with himself and his many bouts with depression attributed to how unstable his mental state was. Ironically, Poe’s death was similar to Fortunato’s, in that Poe, too, was isolated and alone. As stated in Poe, Edgar Allan. "He was found semiconscious and delirious"