The Cask of Amontillado Group

Question:

landerman
landerman
Student
High School - 9th Grade

Explain: "In an instant he had reached the extremity of the niche, and finding his progress arrested by the rock, stood stupidly bewildered."

From the short story, "The Cask of Amontillado."

 

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Posted by landerman on Sunday November 1, 2009 at 7:30 AM and tagged with literature, the cask of amontillado.

Answers:

  1. bullgatortail
    bullgatortail Teacher
    High School - 12th Grade

    eNotes Editor

        I assume you are asking for an explanation of the sentence, rather than a grammatical breakdown of each word. Please let me know if this is not correct.
        This quote, from Edgar Allan Poe's short story, "The Cask of Amontillado," refers to Fortunato's final steps into the catacombs of the Montressors.

    "In an instant he had reached the extremity of the niche, and finding his progress arrested by the rock, stood stupidly bewildered."

    Fortunato has reached the end of the line. The "extremity" is the farthest distance; the "niche" is the small room or alcove (cubbyhole, corner). His progress is halted by the cavern wall, and he stands staring in wonderment. Fortunato has not yet figured out Montressor's true plan, but he will understand shortly.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/jax/index.php/enotes/gsearch?m=co&q...

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    Posted by bullgatortail on Sunday November 1, 2009 at 8:15 AM