A Special Motive of the Cask of Amontillado and a Rose for Emily - Literature review Example

English The Significance of Plot and Setting in “The Cask of Amontillado” and “A Rose for Emily” “The Cask of Amontillado’s” Plot Edgar Poe’s plot begins with a preliminary list of elements. These elements are the original situation, dispute, difficulty, peak, uncertainty, denouement, and ending (Werlock 291). First, the original situation of “The Cask of Amontillado” comprises of an offense and a promise to seek vengeance (Werlock 291). Fortunato and Montresor share a painful and sensitive past. Fortunato repeatedly injured Montresor on multiple occasions, but Montresor does not protest until Fortunato crosses the line. Montresor swears to seek payback against after Fortunato crosses the line by insulting him. Second, the dispute in the narrative’s plot involves correcting things for good (Werlock 291). Montresor has to find a way to escape after a payback mission in case it fails. The price Fortunato has to pay for insulting Montresor has to be long lasting. Third, the difficulty in this narrative’s plot is that Montresor’s plot for revenge appears too simple (Werlock 291). After Montresor gives several clues about his vengeance, Fortunato emphasizes on walking behind Montresor towards a pit of nightmares. Montresor lures Fortunato to him and toys with him, but Fortunato fails to ponder on returning until he meets his demise. Fourth, the peak of Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” plot is Fortunato’s confinement in a suitably big space (Werlock 291). Montresor introduces Luchesi and Fortunato refers to him as an “ignoramus” (Werlock 291). Instantly, Fortunato is trapped within a coffin at the bottom of a vault, creating the story’s peak. Fifth, uncertainty in the form of suspense is present in this narrative’s plot (Werlock 291). Montresor develops a barricade of suspense, particularly from Fortunato’s perspective. This is because Fortunato watches himself succumb to intense oblivion while waiting eagerly for his unfortunate fate to turn into a cruel joke. Sixth, the plot of Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” has denouement denoted by the last brick (Werlock 291). Montresor places the last brick on the barricade of suspense, which causes it to end. Montresor hears the sorry ring of Fortunato’s bells and ignores them. This is because Fortunato will be dead within a short time after completing the brick coffin. Seventh, the ending of “The Cask of Amontillado” reveals the age of the killing (Werlock 291). Fifty years passed after the event, which means Montresor is possibly eighty years old when narrating this story. “The Cask of Amontillado’s” Setting Poe expresses a special motive in the setting of “The Cask of Amontillado” under a horror piece of literary work. The motive is to propose independence or imprisonment consistent or contrary to the liberty of the characters (Werlock 292). This is a gothic interior setting. Readers of “The Cask of Amontillado” conflict between feeling liberated and trapped. A gothic interior makes readers completely conscious of such feelings through cautious focus on the setting. The setting of this narrative shows a unique shift from independence to imprisonment. First, this narrative is set in Italy (Werlock 292). Italy does not explicitly add to the method of gothic interior settings in a clear manner. The first gothic interior settings in literature were allegedly Italian in origin. However, conflicting confessions from the first writers did not authenticate their early usage. One can then deduce that Poe’s usage of Italy is possibly a way of recognizing early gothic interior works. Second, the carnival time of the year together with Montresor’s vault is too direct (Werlock 292). The carnival is a factual festivity for commemorating freedom, an element that Montresor and Fortunato partake in at the opening of the narrative. Third, as both characters travel through the vault, Montresor and Fortunato get closer to smaller and lewder spaces (Werlock 292). Poe is proposing that as the two characters distant themselves more from clean air, they also distanced themselves from freedom. Lastly, Fortunato gradually winds up trapped in a room that signifies the reverse of freedom (Werlock 292). Montresor shackles and bricks Fortunato within a suitably big catacomb without ventilation. As a result, Montresor introduces the opposite of Fortunato’s fate by finding self-determination at the narrative’s end through life. “A Rose for Emily” Plot The plot in William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” comprises of five parts. In the first part, the narrator remembers the demise of Emily Grierson (Werlock 294). In addition, the narrator remembers how the whole town went to her funeral at her residence, which did not accommodate any outsider for over a decade. Associates of the Board of Aldermen visited Grierson’s salon, which were out-of-date and covered and dust. Grierson restates how Jefferson does not subject her to taxes and that representatives ought to discuss with Colonel Sartoris concerning the issue. Up to these remembrances, Colonel Sartoris had been dead for nearly ten years. As a result, Grierson asks Tobe, her help, to ask the men to leave (Werlock 294). In the second part, the narrator explains a lengthy sickness that Grierson acquires following this event (Werlock 294). The summer that follows the demise of Grierson’s father sees the employment of town laborers who pour concrete on the footways. Under the supervision of northerner Homer Barron, a construction organization funds and oversees this task. As the matter persist and Grierson name is further tarnished, she buys a potent poison called arsenic from a chemist. The law stresses that buyers of such substances to indicate their usage before making a purchase. Grierson’s fails to explain its purpose and simply puts a label saying “For Rats” on the container as the store transports it to her residence (Werlock 294). In the fourth section, the narrator explains the concern that several of the residents of Grierson’s town have about her usage of the poison (Werlock 294). Grierson’s possible marriage to Barron suddenly appears more and more unlikely in spite of their constant Sunday tradition. Apart from the infrequent sign of Grierson’s reflection on the window, she remains silent until her demise while seventy-four years old. In the last part, the narrator explains what unfolds after Grierson’s death (Werlock 294). Grierson’s body is displayed in her salon. Women, seniors, and two cousins go to the service. On the other hand, Barron’s body is laid out on a bed too, which is more decayed than Grierson’s body. Afterwards, attendees take note of a head dent in the pillow next to Barron’s body and a lengthy filament of Grierson’s gray hair on the pillow. “A Rose for Emily” Setting The setting of Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” is an eerie old house situated in Jefferson, roughly between 1861 and 1933 (Werlock 298). This setting is rich with literary elements. Faulkner formulates a fictional county in a real state. The county, Yoknapatawpha in Mississippi, is full of a number of different households encompassing the whole Grierson family. Emily Grierson is the latest adherent of the Grierson family. The setting of Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” is straightforward. Even though Jefferson and its residents are distinct, readers perceive their town similar to any other southern town between the late 1800s and early 1900s (Werlock 298). The incidents that come up in the narrative unfold mostly (Werlock 298). This is because numerous southern inhabitants who resided during the slavery period were oblivious of what to do after the government branded the tradition unlawful and gradually abolished. This situation also occurred on a substantial pile of southern pride, automatically making it a tragedy in the setting of the narrative. The setting of “A Rose for Emily” is also an exploration of how future age groups handle historic perceptions of slavery (Werlock 298). Faulkner shows that it is crucial to recognize a certain arrangement of events to feel the effect of history truly and comprehend its drive within the narrative (Werlock 298). Work Cited Werlock, Abby H. P. Companion to Literature: Facts on File Companion to the American Short Story. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2009.Print. Read More