Rest In Peace, Dear Fortunato

(Too funny not to post)

"The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge."

These have always been some of my favorite opening lines to any short story. In my mind, Edgar Allan Poe stands out as one of the most brilliant writers who ever put pen to paper...but that is just my humble opinion. Call me morbid, but I love everything about Poe's fiction and poetry. Poe's writing is so dynamic in the way he captures beauty in the melancholy and macabre. He also is said to have been the inventor of the murder mystery novel. And let's just be honest...Edgar Allan Poe is to Halloween what the Easter Bunny and Uncle Sam are to Easter and Independence Day. For these and many other reasons, my gratitude goes out to the Fiction Team who chose Poe's short story.

Who doesn't like a classic story of revenge? Well, the ironically unfortunate Fortunato probably doesn't. Set in the dreary underground catacombs of Italy, "The Cask of Amontillado" places the reader inside the head of mad man drunken with vengeance...and a little wine. Unlike many of Poe's other characters, the narrator possesses a certain sophistication and poise. This eery calmness and composure only adds to the shock once the reader realizes that this seemingly innocent trip to the catacombs is actually a death march. The true brilliance of the story is the tone and the dialogue. Poe writes in such a way that assures not only Fortunato, but also the reader that the narrator's intentions are genuinely pleasant. It isn't until the final stone is placed that one comes to terms with the extent of the narrator's revenge.

As for good writing, Poe employs certain allusions and symbols that foreshadow the untimely demise of Fortunato. First of all, the name "Fortunato" is Italian for "lucky." The irony of the name is only understood once the story is completed and the wall has been sealed up. Another irony is the conversation regarding Masonry between Fortunato and the narrator. When asked by Fortunato if he is a Mason, the narrator is forced to give a secret symbol. Fortunato scoffs at the token and the two move onward. It is also not until the wall is sealed up that the reader grasps the ironic significance of the Mason sealing up his enemy behind a wall of brick and mortar. The highly secretive and symbolic reputation of the Masons also contributes to the overall tone of the story.

Say what you want about Poe being a depressed drunk who married his underage first cousin, the guy could write. In pace requíescat. Rest in Peace, unfortunate Fortunato.