As Montresor takes his unsuspecting victim into the depths of his crypt, he has revenge in mind. Edgar Allen Poe is known for his frightening tales which use description as their main weapon. In “The Cask of Amontillado” he creates an unforgiving main character (Montresor) who seeks revenge against a man who has abused him. The narration, surroundings, and the twisted plot creates a spectacular, horrifying tale. Suspense can be seen in the short story as early as the first line. The narrator states that “the thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could,” and then goes on to say that he vows revenge. What Montresor means by this quote is that Fortunato had done him wrong too many times, and he will most certainly return the favor. The phrase that Montresor uses, the thousand injuries, sets an evil tone for the story as it implies that Fortunato has caused him much pain and sorrow. The narrator goes on to say that he must “not only punish, but punish with impunity.” The use of the word punish implies that the narrator intends to inflict harm on Fortunato, just as he said when he vowed revenge. Using the word impunity in this quote shows that he intends to inflict harm without any …show more content…
As Montresor was laying the masonry, he heard a “low moaning cry from the depth of the recess,” which was followed by silence. The use of the moaning shows the suffering of Fortunato which creates the mood of terror. After the cry, there was a moment of silence, which created more suspense. Montresor then hears the vibrations of the chains, to which he hearkened to it with satisfaction. The vibrations of the chains shows Fortunato's helpless struggle, which is terrifying. The description also shows how twisted and evil Montresor is as he enjoyed listening to the struggles of Fortunato. All these examples show how the author uses description to show the mood of horror and