How Does Poe Create Suspense In The Cask Of Amontillado

The repetition places emphasis on the message the author is trying to convey, such as, “Down still unceasingly still inevitably down” (Poe 277). When the narrator explains the pendulums movement “Down” is repeated to place emphasis on how fast it’s descending toward him, however, the repetition also adds to the suspense of the novel because the audience does not know what will happen to the narrator and will begin to worry as the pendulum closes in on him. Another, example is “Light flashed suddenly through the gloom, and has suddenly faded away” the repeated word “suddenly” tells the reader of an unexpected event of a door opening and closing which means the narrator is actually being watched while he is in his cell. Such an unexpected event makes a reader curious as to who is watching the main character, why they are watching and what is going to happen to him. Poe address all these questions through the sequence of the

Roald Dahl, the author of “The Landlady”, did a spine-chilling job at writing this short horror story. Suspense in a book makes me feel like the antagonist is trying to creep up and grab me. It helps me to visualize what is going on in the story. He generates a lot of suspense in the story, and keeps the readers interested and eager to read more . Roald Dahl uses unique writing methods that help create the suspense in “The Landlady”

How these Experiences relate to“The Cask of Amontillado” Support #1: “The Cask of Amontillado” features a sinister narrator who seeks revenge upon being insulted. Montresor, decides that he must “not only punish” Fortunato, “but punish him with impunity” (stanza one). Support #2:  Though both experienced differently, like Montresor, Poe had also been humiliated.

Montresor is so consumed by his hatred for Fortunato that he deliberately creates a plot to murder Fortunato to seek justice for himself and his family name. In order to convey this to the audience Poe uses foreshadowing, suspense, and exposition to reveal the intentions of Montresor. The first literary tool Poe uses in order to reveal the intentions of Montresor is exposition. Poe uses exposition in the beginning of, “The Cask of Amontillado,” in order to get the rest of the story in motion.

In many stories and poems; such as the Tell Tale Heart, The Cask of Amontillado, The Raven, Annabel Lee, The House of Usher, and so many more timeless works, Edgar Allan Poe has been captivating his audiences with spine tingling thrillers through the words and style of his own twisted ways. The only way to describe where Poe’s writing belongs in history, would be classified as gothic genre. From the start of the 1800’s to present day and the future of literature, through irony, repetition, imagery, and symbolism Poe has been bewitching readers with his gore and insane writings. Poe’s life inspired so many of his poems, from focusing on taboo topics, such as death, revenge, love and loss. Poe’s life was painful and heartbreaking that

What gives the reader that feeling of being on the edge of their seat? Why would he want the reader to anticipate what’s going to happen next? That is how the author expresses tension. The author does this by using literary devices. Edgar Allen Poe builds suspense in “The Black Cat” by using specific literary devices—foreshadowing, allusion, and slow pace.

While Matheson’s idea of foreshadowing and the twist ending is represented by, “She shuddered Was it happening? A chill of horror swept across her”(Matheson, p110). Both stories use foreshadowing to tell the reader that something bad is going to happen. In Pit and Pendulum, it makes reader predict that something bad is waiting for the character which is worse than death but he manages to survive it. While in Button, Button it says that someone is going to die because Norma pushed the button, but the end result was ironic as her husband was killed who she thought knew the best.

In Edger Allen Poe's story “The Cask of Amontillado” there seems to be a great deal of secrecy and revenge to the point that it makes the readers so eager to finish the story. We learn in the beginning that Montresor is seeking revenge for the “thousand of times” Fortunato has supposedly done, and plans to do it in a way where punishment and pain is inflicted. The story is told from Montresor and he is the narrator, but what is being explained in this literally analysis is the story being told from Fortunato’s point of view. The beginning of the story starts off with learning about Fortunato’s alleged allegations that he had done against Montresor. We never fully learn what he has done but we can get a feel of something he did because of how bad Montresor wants revenge.

Edgar Allan Poe shows the advantages and the damage of fear in the stories, “The Tell-Tale Heart”, “The Masque of Red Death”, and “The Pit and the Pendulum.” In these stories, fear drives avoidance of death, deceiving the minds of the narrators. Poe uses symbolism, irony, and imagery to demonstrate how minds can be altered. Poe uses symbolism, in “The Tell-Tale Heart”, to show fear, dementing and distorting the narrator’s mind. The old man’s eye triggers the narrator to face insanity and phobia. The narrator questions his obsession, soon realizing, “ I think it was his eye!

The narrator in “The Tell Tale Heart” quickly reveals his insanity towards “vulture eye,” as he raves, “... for it was not the old man that vexed me, but his evil eye…”(523.) In this story, the eye represents judgment, therefore the killer is not paranoid about the eye specifically, but rather the opinion it gives the old man. This fear of judgment grows into an obsession and overwhelms the narrator, consuming any sanity he possessed, and leaving him guilty and illing to confess his crime. This same paranoia and fixation is demonstrated by Prince Prospero in “The Masque of Red Death.” The Prince however is paranoid by the inescapable Red Death, so much so, that he isolates himself: “A strong and lofty wall girdled it[the castle] in.

“The Cask of Amontillado,” written by Edgar Allen Poe, has a very suspenseful mood and it is portrayed with various key details. Some scenes that prove suspense is the theme are, when Montresor explains to the reader that he is seeking revenge on Fortunato, when Montresor captured Fortunato, as well as, when Fortunato sobers up while chained to the rock. In the first sentence of this passage, Poe writes this, “...I had borne as best I could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge.” What did Fortunato do to make Montresor so mad, what is Montresor going to do to Fortunato--these are only two of the many questions that the reader inquiries. This creates suspense because it hooks the reader and makes the reader want to continue reading.

In Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado,” irony is applied throughout to help foreshadow future and give more of an insight to the readers, all while adding some humor. Irony is divided into three main types: dramatic, situational, and verbal. Poe uses dramatic irony when he has Fortunato dress as a jester, “a tight-fitting parti-striped dress and his was surmounted by the conical cap and bells” (Poe). The get-up makes Fortunato looks foolish and foreshadows his actions of following Montresor into the catacombs to taste some wine. Montresor even compliments the outfit and says “My dear Fortunato, you are luckily met” (Poe), but it was not Fortunato who was in luck, but Montresor who would gain profit of their meeting.

NWA (National Wrestling Alliance) is one of the most watched programs on television where people are ripping at each other to compete for money. People around the world seem to enjoy violence. Writer’s use violence in their pieces to draw outsiders in because there is a common interest, which is violence in this case. The principal characters in the short story’s “Thank you, M’am”, “Harrison Bergeron”, and “The Cask of Amontillado” show a universal flaw. Violence is common in the personalities of the leading characters in these short stories.

In “Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe, both narrators commit murder with different strategies. Though both narrators successfully committed murder, only one of the narrators got caught. The narrator in “Tell-Tale Heart” fails to be an effective murderer; while the narrator in “The Cask of Amontillado” displays that he is a good murderer. The narrator, Montresor, shows an excellent job on how to be a good murderer.

Human behavior will determine the success of our world. Humans can destroy themselves if they are malicious like shown in the short stories The Cask of Amontillado, The Veldt, and The Lottery. Human nature is slowly decreasing in value in the world. Characters in those short stories prove to be the wrong answer to healing the wounds of the world today, like the injustice, and overall ignorance the world carries on its back. Although humans can be kind and selfless people, sacrificing loved ones, hurting innocent bystanders, and plotting revenge can reveal the dark side of human nature.