Edgar Allan Poe is a renowned author known for his dark twist and horrifying stories. He is known for using the world around him, animals, dark architecture, and weather to produce bone chilling literature that readers can’t seem to put down. Two of his most well known thrillers are “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Tell-Tale Heart”. Poe had a way of mixing setting, characters, theme, and mood in a way that readers are automatically drawn into reading.
In “The Tell-Tale Heart” the narrator’s only reason for murdering the old man was because he didn’t like the look of his disfigured eye. There was no real motive for the murder as said: “Object there was none… I loved the old man. He had never wronged me…” (884.) The narrator states that the old man’s eye was a pale blue color with film over it, resembling a vulture. In reality it was probably just a cataract. The narrator continuously insists and tries to convince the reader that he is not insane, but his repeating of this, and his actions, contradict one another. Being so threatened by the old man’s eye, the killer attacks his master at night, cuts up his body and buries it beneath the floor boards. The fact that the narrator kills this innocent old man because of his eye is proof enough he suffers from psychological imbalance, and to further the evidence that the narrator is, he continues to hear the man’s heart beat beneath the floor boards. Although it seems as if it is his own heart beating, he automatically assumes the old man’s heart is haunting his mind. The two characters presented by Poe are what play the biggest part in making the story. The killer narrator who is suffering from an undeniable insanity and the old man who is just an innocent victim. The simple fact is that, that is what makes the story so unsettling. The fact that the whole plot is about a cold hearted killed and a loving old man with an eye deformity.
In “The Cask of Amontillado” the most noticeable theme is revenge. Montresor, who vows revenge on Fortunado for an insult, tries to convince the reader and himself his intentions are honorable. His actions are seen acceptable because of the his family Motto: “Nemo me impune lacessit” or “No one assails me with impunity.” Revenge coupled with intelligence will become a deadly plot for Fortunado. Montressor will seduce Fortunado to his own death by being intelligent and his eager desire of revenge. The characters can relate to “The Tell Tale Heart” by how Montressor, the narrator, shows signs of being mad trying to justify his actions with a motto. The backstory of this tale has always raised questions, this unnamed insult happened centuries ago. The narrator is telling of a memory he is possessed with justifying his wrongs with a motto for reasoning, as the eye is the excuse in the previous story, no other examiner of the story can see a real reason as to why murder was needed. His victim, Fortuanto, is weak like the old man- by drinking and sickness from a cough. Within “The Cask of Amontillado” Montressor will psychologically get Fortuanto to follow him into his family catacombs by challenging Fortuanto’s expertise on wines. Natural response of a human being challenged would be to prove their challenger wrong. When Montressor says he will seek Luchresi to taste the wine, Fortunato insists he go, he is a true expert on wine not Luchresi. Montressor knew by challenging Fortunato, the plan would work and he would take the bait for Montressor’s revenge. Once within the catacombs Montressor would go with his intended plan and brick in Fortunato, leaving no escape. It is important that Montressor knows that his victim is conscious of what is happening to him. He derives pleasure from the fact that as Fortunato dies, and sobers, he will see escape is impossible and his love of wine brought him to his death.
In the short story “Cask of Amontillado”, Poe uses background information and dark, decayed surroundings to connect it with Montressor’s personality and Fortunado’s unavoidable death. The setting begins at a joyous carnival, with costumes and cheerful atmosphere about. Poe establishes this light and happy mood to see as to what Fortunato is experiencing before his death. Fortunato is dressed as a clown, which lets him seem as bright and exuberant among the crowd. The portrayal of Fortunato is he’s a socialite with charming characteristics. It is apparent that he is enjoying himself and having a good time at the party while rather drunk. By the scene portrayed, Poe makes Fortunato out to be the life of a party, who everyone knew and paid attention to. A personality so opposite from Montressor’s, that it literally killed him.
The setting of “The Tell-Tale Heart” helps contribute to the unnerving feeling that one gets while reading. The story takes place at night in a dark mansion, which described alone can seem eerie enough. The setting can seem very common to any horror story that is told, it is stereotypical of any chilling tale. Secondly, the feeling coming from the story is cold and disturbing, a big mansion at night is bound to send flustering thoughts through any sane mind. The narrator is struggling between good and evil internally, furthering the disturbing feeling,
The theme perhaps is the least important fact in “The Cask of Amontillado”. Really it’s just about a crime with no real insight as to what the insult was; why it was so horrible that it caused Fortunato to be murdered. The idea perhaps behind the entire story is that no one can find refuge from a sick mind, or terrible crimes can happen when a human’s imagination creates something insignificantly small into something of great meaning. Montressor does achieve his goal of making Fortunato suffer and ponder as to why he deserved this sentence. However, he does not have the peace of mind because he remains obsessed with what he has done; not sure if Fortunato really grasped the error of his ways. The fact that the story is told later as a memory suggest that his sin is still haunting his mind. Poe is fascinated with the human mind and the psychology of human nature behind. That is why “The Cask of Amontillado” cannot have a for certain idea behind it. The theme is not what was intended to be looked at, but to wonder why the murder was committed. Fortunato’s murder must be questioned because the insult stays a mystery. The only logically explantation Poe created is a diseased mind, an unstable narrator with only a poor excuse.
This however is not the case in “The Tell-Tale Heart”. This short story contains an important theme that differs from “The Cask of Amontillado”. Human nature is a muted balance of light and dark or good and evil. Often this unstable balance is maintained; except, when there is a transition, for any reason, the dark or evil can consume the mind. In this situation it is the evil eye of the old man that sends the narrator into a demented state. It is his irrational fear that eventually summons his evil side to commit an unnecessary murder. The murderer carefully plans his crime and waits for the perfect time to commit the act of horror. The murderer then covers his act by burying in his secret so that no one may find out. This is also seen in “The Cask of Amontillado”, Montressor waits for his victim to be in a weak state and then covers his crime by also, in a sense, burying up his victim. What is different within “The Tell-Tale Heart” Poe adds a new element to help provoke the dark side of the narrator, that is the supernatural.
Mood in both short stories have proven to resemble one another in many aspects. Together they present a great deal of horror, suspense, and may resemble Poe’s own fear. “The Cask of Amontillado” is ironic throughout the story by conversation such as, Fortunato says, “I shall not die of a cough,” Montressor answers “True,” because he knows the fate Fortunato will have. In fact the name Fortunato is ironic within its self because fortune will not be his case, death will be. The mood of both works are dark and disturbed in many ways. An example, they both kill their victims in a bizarre manner. Montressor will starve and dehydrate to death chained to a stonewall, the narrator built around him, and in the other short story the old man is suffocated and then the narrator chops off his limbs and proceeds to bury him underneath the floorboards.
Within these two stories “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Tell-Tale Heart” Poe illustrates his need to discover the human’s mind and natural behavior. He is able to produce dark and sinister stories through characters, setting, theme, and mood. Poe also shows his interest and intelligence of use of characters in ways so that the setting and theme can be created through their eyes and mind. The two short stories by Poe resemble each other through major common aspects.