hings out of stones and mortar such as Fortunato's grave. Irony is also used throughout this tale. The use of revenge in this story shows irony. Montressor avenges himself by fooling Fortunato into literally walking into his own grave. Fortunato pursues the "cask" which ends up being his own casket. Montressor even asks Fortunato repeatedly whether he would like to turn back. Fortunato refuses to leave the catacombs until he proves that he is a true connoisseur of wine and that he knows more about wine then Luchesi. He will not allow his pride to be hurt even if it means getting sicker or catching pneumonia. With Montressor's trap, he takes Fortunato completely by surprise and makes his death ironic. Fortunato is the one eager to get to the end of the catacombs. Irony is also found in Montressor's statement to his friend that they should return because Fortunato's "health is precious" 3. This is ironic because Montressor does not really want to protect Fortunato's health, but indeed to kill him. The short story, "The Cask of Amontillado," also contains a good deal of symbolism. The black silk mask and "roquelaire" 4, or cape, which Montressor puts on before entering the catacombs, represents the devil or death. They represent and tell the reader what Montressor has planned. His "getting even" is evil and will mean death to Fortunato. The coat of arms of Montressor's family is another example of symbolism and foreshadowing in the whole story. Montressor's description of it is "A huge human foot d'or, in a field azure; the foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs are imbedded in the heel" 5. In this image, the foot is symbolic of Montressor and the serpent of Fortunato. Montressor is very proud but he feels that he was wronged and that Fortunato had insulted both him and his family, or so we are to believe. He says, "I must not only punish, but punish with impunity" 6. Although Fortunato has hurt Montressor, the coat of arms suggests th...
