Edgar Allan Poe weaves through the lines of "The Cask of Amontillado" a sinister evil and engulfing feeling of darkness and dread. Poe uses the first-person point of view to reveal the thoughts of an unhappy, wealthy, and extremely spiteful individual. Through the very eyes and ears of the main character, whom we only know as a member of the Montresors, "a great and numerous family," the reader becomes engaged in the writers vengeful attitudes and events.
The very first line of the story reveals the theme that will be executed - "The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge." The actual injuries and insults are never revealed, nor is the time frame from which the events occurred to when the revenge was carried out. It could have possibly been quite some time between the events for the reader is told that "at length I would be avenged: but the very definitiveness with which it was resolved precluded the idea of risk. I must not only punish but punish with impunity."(173) He devised a plan that would not be executed swiftly or carelessly. All the while, carefully planning the demise of his adversary, Fortunato, his vengeful spirit grew stronger.
The actual act of revenge was executed during the "supreme madness of the carnival season." This brings to mind a wild, rather out-of-control atmosphere and the very description of the encounter with Fortunato serves to justify this conclusion. The narrator writes, "He accosted me with excessive warmth, for he had been drinking much." The account of Fortunato's attire, "tight-fitting parti-striped dress, and his head was surmounted by the conical cap and bells," only adds to the extreme party scene. It is no wonder that the avenger is able to persuade Fortunato to come to his home with only a sample of his precious Amontillado, an expensive, pale, dry sherry. Through the use of flattery, Fortunato is lead to his well-planned, every-detail-in-place death.