1.

Setting: How does the setting of "The Cask of Amontillado" affect the impact of the story
as a whole? Cite examples from the text to support your answer.

Most of the story takes place in the vaults under Montressor’s Mansion. The vaults in
the story are a dark, damp, underground tunnel area where Montressor lures Fortunato with
Amontillado to kill him for revenge. The whole story has this dark revenge theme, and the
setting of the dark, damp vaults makes the reader more involved and interested in the story.
This story wouldn’t be as exciting if it were on a bright, sunny day. It would be very off-putting if
there was a murder in daylight versus a murder deep down in the vaults. One example of how
the setting added to the story would be, “Here I knocked off the neck of a bottle which I drew
from a long row of its fellows that lay upon the mold.” This phrase here refers to Montressor
offering Fortunato some alcohol. The last part of the sentence, where it says “lay upon the
mold,” gives an idea of an old, moldy, and damp tunnel. This small description of the setting
helps the reader understand and visualize the scene. It helps the reader not only read but also
feel the story and the emotions connected to it. There are many small examples like these that
are not very significant but add to the story in terms of emotions and feelings regarding the
setting.

2. Narrator: How does the use of the first-person narrator impact the story? How does this
shape the reader’s understanding of the events?

The use of first-person narration makes the reader see the story from the lens of a
certain character and puts the idea of perspective into play. The story "The Cask of
Amontillado'' is set from the perspective of Montressor. The narrator is the "villain," but since
the story is from his lens, there's less emphasis on him doing wrong and more on his revenge.
Now, maybe if the story were from Fortunato’s point of view, the focus would be more on
Montressor’s cunning and evil nature rather than his foolishness. Since Montressor is the
narrator, we get an idea of what he’s planning and what will happen. Now, the reader is just
curious to see how things will unfold and the details of his revenge. First-person narration often
makes the reader question whether we can trust the narrator or if he/she is insane, especially
in this case where the narrator is in a negative role.
3. Character: Analyze the character of Fortunato. Choose two character traits that you think
best describe his character and support them with evidence from the text.

One of the two character traits of Fortunato would be that he is very egoistic. He is
shown to believe that he portrays himself as the best wine connoisseur, in which he takes
pride. An evidence to support that would be, “He prided himself on his connoisseurship in
wine.” This phrase is in the very beginning when the narrator introduces Fortunato.
Another evidence would be, “Let us go, nevertheless. The cold is merely nothing.
Amontillado! You have been imposed upon. And as for Luchesi, he cannot distinguish
Sherry from Amontillado.” This is a dialogue by Fortunato to Montressor. In this dialogue,
he is making fun of Luchesi and is indirectly referring that he is obviously better than him.

Another character trait of Fortunato would be that he is shown to be very stubborn.

Throughout the text, Montressor keeps advising to go back and quit, but he is very
stubborn and insists they keep going. This happens several times. An evidence to support
this is:

Montressor: “The nitre!” I said; “see, it increases. It hangs like moss upon the vaults. We
are below the river’s bed. The drops of moisture trickle among the bones. Come, we will
go back ere it is too late. Your cough — ”

Fortunato: “It is nothing,” he said; “let us go on. But first, another draught of the Medoc.”

Here you can see how he is stubborn to go on despite his worsening condition.

4. Symbol: A symbol is an object that represents a larger abstract idea or concept. The
Montressor coat of arms (a golden foot smashing a snake, but the snake is biting the heel
of the offending foot) quite literally symbolizes a deadly act of revenge that Montressor is
about to recreate. Identify another symbol in the story and explain what it represents.
Make sure you connect the symbol to its greater significance and not just describe the
object in the story.

A symbol in the story that I would like to expand on is the wine. During the story, it
is shown that both are sober, but as the story goes along, Fortunato keeps drinking more.
This could be a symbol of how as he drinks more wine, the closer he gets to his death.
This can relate to how alcohol, in general, is very bad for you and leads to various types
of health concerns. It is known to slowly kill you. So, as he drinks more, he gets closer to
his death, just like in real life; the more you drink, the 'closer' you get to health issues and
eventually death.
5. Theme: Construct a thematic statement for the story. Your theme statement should be
about a topic from the story (betrayal, revenge, obsession, etc.) and reveal a truth about
this particular topic related to the human condition. A strong thematic statement is
supported throughout the entire text and provides us with an insight into human nature.
Once you’ve created this statement explain how it can be supported through the
characters, setting, and/or plot.

The thematic statement I came up with is 'Revenge is blinding.' The main idea of the
story is about Montresor’s revenge. I chose this theme because it connects to how revenge
consumes an individual, blinding them to ethics and morality. In the story, Montresor is blinded
by revenge and does multiple unethical things like plotting a murder, betraying a friend, lying,
and much more. Overall, revenge is a very negative thing to have in a person’s life, and it
shows that concept very well in the story. Also, in the end, after he locks Fortunato and gains
his revenge, he feels remorse and guilt but blames it on the dampness of the vault. This shows
how, after he gets his revenge, he sees what is right and wrong and realizes how blind he was
before.