Examples Of The Masquerade In The Cask Of Amontillado

At masquerades, Poe’s characters disregard social norms and become victim to crime. In “The Cask of Amontillado,” for example, Montresor utilizes the carnival’s masquerade to trick Fortunato into his own death. The masquerade carries the standard meanings of happiness and freedom. Reality is held from time, and people can assume another identity for a brief time. Montresor takes advantage of these ideas to truly harm Fortunato. In “William Wilson,” the masquerade is where the narrator receives his alternate self’s last insult. The masquerade is enticing because guests wear many exotic, horrific costumes, but the narrator and his double wear the same Spanish ensemble. The alternate Wilson haunts the narrator by not allowing him the rush of uniquely