Irony
"Then you are not of the brotherhood."
"How?"
"You are not of the masons."
"How?"
"You are not of the masons."
The Trowel:
Perhaps the most striking use of irony is when Montresor pulls a trowel out
of his cloak after Fortunato performs a ritual handshake to prove that he is
a Mason. It's revealed that Fortunato is a Mason, while Montresor is revealing
that he will be a literal mason, one who works with brick or mortar. Whether
or not Montresor is a Freemason still remains a mystery, but the ironic play
on words hinting to Fortunato's death presents a joke to the reader.
The Outfit:
Often overlooked, the outlandish attire that Fortunato wears adds a bit of irony
to the story. While some might disagree, Baraban states that "there are no
details in his works that appear due to accident or intuition." Simply put, everything
in the story has a reason to be there. The story takes place during Carnevale, in
Italy. During this time, it's traditional for people to celebrate with wild masks and
costumes. Montresor remarked that Fortunato was dressed in "tight-fitting parti
-striped dress, and his head was surmounted by the conical cap and bells" (Poe).
With his wild attire, Fortunato looked like a fool, which is odd, since Montresor also
described Fortunato as a "man to be respected and even feared"(Poe). Montresor kills
this man during this time not only because it's easy to trick him due to drunkenness,
but also because if the body were to ever be found, it would degrade Fortunato even
further, as a respected man like himself wouldn't be buried in such attire.
Perhaps the most striking use of irony is when Montresor pulls a trowel out
of his cloak after Fortunato performs a ritual handshake to prove that he is
a Mason. It's revealed that Fortunato is a Mason, while Montresor is revealing
that he will be a literal mason, one who works with brick or mortar. Whether
or not Montresor is a Freemason still remains a mystery, but the ironic play
on words hinting to Fortunato's death presents a joke to the reader.
The Outfit:
Often overlooked, the outlandish attire that Fortunato wears adds a bit of irony
to the story. While some might disagree, Baraban states that "there are no
details in his works that appear due to accident or intuition." Simply put, everything
in the story has a reason to be there. The story takes place during Carnevale, in
Italy. During this time, it's traditional for people to celebrate with wild masks and
costumes. Montresor remarked that Fortunato was dressed in "tight-fitting parti
-striped dress, and his head was surmounted by the conical cap and bells" (Poe).
With his wild attire, Fortunato looked like a fool, which is odd, since Montresor also
described Fortunato as a "man to be respected and even feared"(Poe). Montresor kills
this man during this time not only because it's easy to trick him due to drunkenness,
but also because if the body were to ever be found, it would degrade Fortunato even
further, as a respected man like himself wouldn't be buried in such attire.
The Name:
The word fortunate is always used in a positive way, as in "I wish you luck!" Fortunato,
an Italian word, literally translates to fortunate/lucky in the English language. With such
a last name, one would assume that Fortunato has the best of luck. Fortunato was a well
respected man in society, and was undoubtedly in a fine financial state, if his experience
with expensive wines shows any indication. Life was going great for the man of fortune,
until his stroll into the Montresor family crypt. Death by immurement isn't what most
people consider to be lucky. Dying from dehydration and starvation is extremely unlucky,
and isn't the death that a fortunate person will have.
The word fortunate is always used in a positive way, as in "I wish you luck!" Fortunato,
an Italian word, literally translates to fortunate/lucky in the English language. With such
a last name, one would assume that Fortunato has the best of luck. Fortunato was a well
respected man in society, and was undoubtedly in a fine financial state, if his experience
with expensive wines shows any indication. Life was going great for the man of fortune,
until his stroll into the Montresor family crypt. Death by immurement isn't what most
people consider to be lucky. Dying from dehydration and starvation is extremely unlucky,
and isn't the death that a fortunate person will have.