Short Stories Comparison

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Date: 1/16/2015 In the stories “The Cask of Amontillado” and The “Interlopers” there is an overarching theme that humans are inherently evil. These themes are advanced by the literary element of characterization. These stories are written by Edgar Allen Poe and Saki (H. H. Monroe), respectively. These both use the literary element of characterization to advance their respective stories. Characterization is the describing/ depictions of characters to advance a theme. Overall, humans are inherently evil is the main them. “The Cask of Amontillado” is a masterfully written short story by the horror lord Edgar Allen Poe himself. The story concerns a man named Montresor trying to get revenge on a man named Fortunato (‘The Fortunate One” in Italian”). However, he has some terms on this revenge, he does not want to get caught and he wants Fortunato to know it was him, and also when says revenge, he means killing him. In order to pull off this incredibly complex scheme of revenge, he plans an intricate trap. During carnival seasons he lures a drunken Fortunato, dressed as a Jester away from the crowds (while dressed with a roquelaire, or black cape) with the lure of the need to inspect a cask of Amontillado, a rare Italian wine (hence the title). Montresor lures Fortunato in his Montresor’s family catacomb, all the while asking of his health in the dark, dank catacombs. Eventually, Montresor’s locks Fortunato in an alcove deep in the catacombs, and bricks Fortunato in. The last sound that Montresor heard was the jingling of bells. The story ends with the eerie quote “Requiescat in pace” (Meaning rest in peace).” The Interlopers” tells the story of two families, the Gradwitz’s and the Znaeym’s, both claiming a land in the Carpathian Mountains, although the Gradwitz’s legally won the land. This feud was passed down to the new patriarchs, Ulrich von Gradwitz and Georg

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