made a deep emotional impression on him. Second, when the walled-up Fortunato is screaming to be freed, Montresor also screams to drown out the sound, suggesting that once the reality hits, what Montresor is doing becomes very disturbing to him. Finally, Montresor feels sick as he enacts his revenge. Although he quickly rationalizes it as a physical problem, a reader might easily interpret the sickness differently.

A conclusion should at least sum up what went before, but the best conclusions leave the reader with an added thought. You might want to think about what Montresor hopes the listener's reaction to the story might be. Does he hope to be justified for his act, or does he hope for the story to act as a cautionary tale that keeps others from pursuing his path? Or something else? Why do you think so?

One angle to consider is if Montresor is telling this tale in an attempt to ask for forgiveness. He is telling his tale to "you" fifty years after the events take place. Given the advanced age this would make him, it is possible that he is on his deathbed. Is the "you" a friend of his or perhaps a priest? In the beginning, Montresor states "You who know so well the nature of my soul, will not suppose, however, that I gave utterance to a threat." Only a friend, spouse, or a priest would know the nature of his soul. So why, at this stage of life, would Montresor tell this story? Is the nature of his soul that of a cold, vengeful man or that of a good but flawed man who did a terrible thing? Is he bragging or subtly asking forgiveness? This could be an interesting topic and thesis statement. What is the reason for Montresor's confession? Is he bragging or penitent?

In the final paragraph, Montresor states that his heart grew sick from "the dampness of the catacombs." Is he being truthful or is his heart actually sick with remorse? And here is the final line: "For half of a century no mortal has disturbed them. In pace requiescat!" When he ends with "Rest in Peace," can we conclude that he really means it? Does he really wish peace upon Fortunato?

Poe brilliantly left this ambiguous. That's what makes this such a great topic. There is no definitive conclusion. Montresor could be asking forgiveness or the "rest in peace" finale is just a sarcastic sentiment from a remorseless man.

"The Cask of Amontillado" is said to have been inspired by Poe's intense resentment of literary critics who gave negative reviews of his poetry and short stories. Having Montresor exact revenge on Fortunato, the man who had inflicted a "thousand injuries" on him, may have been a way for Poe to sublimate the rage he felt toward the critics who called into question his imagination and skill as a writer.

If your essay on the story will be concerned with an analysis of the steps that Montresor takes to enact his revenge on Fortunato, you could consider all the things that Montresor puts into place before approaching Fortunato at the carnival. In that case, a thesis statement could look something like this:

Montresor's careful planning to extract revenge for the many offenses of Fortunato demonstrates the depth of his anguish and intelligence and his resolve to live up to his family's motto.

In the conclusion, it would be a good idea to revisit the translation of the Montresor family motto and explain how he was able to live up to it.

A good thesis statement would be "Man will go to extremes to get revenge."  The whole short story is about revenge, and the easiest thing to write about, therefore, is revenge and how Montresor gets it.  Your body paragraphs could discuss Montresor's steps to lead Fortunato to his death.  In the conclusion, list the three steps you found to be most important in Fortunato's path to death, and explain how those steps allowed Montresor to get his revenge (in a few words each).  Do not use, "In conclusion" to start your conclusion.

Another approach to an essay on Poe's chilling story is to examine the Gothic conventions which Poe employs in a most unique way.  For, while Poe utlilizes the dark, sinister catacombs and the victim and victimizer; he also employs the atmosphere of terror, but then subverts this convention by using human beings rather than supernatural beings for the terrible deeds.  Thus, it is that people should fear the real horror that lies in what human beings themselves are capable of.  This real horror is what Montresor realizes at the end of his narrative as he cries out, too, "Yes...for the love of God."  His heart, he states, "grew sick--on account of the dampness," but Montresor tries to hide his own horror; rather, it is the evil of his deed which sickens his heart and causes the "erected...hairs upon [his]head." 

In an essay that examines this original approach to the use of Gothic conventions, the writer may, perhaps, compose a thesis which states that is Montresor who, in his act of revenge against Fortunato seeks to terrorize his victim, but, in actuality, horrifies himself. (In fact, Montresor is much like Kurtz of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness who in realization utters, "The horror! the horror!")

There are many different approaches a person could take, depending on the topic of the essay, of course, but one way to begin this essay might be to ruminate on the chilling irony Poe created when he chose as the setting for his story a carnival, generally associated with recreation and fun, and the choice of the name for the character who is destined to die, "Fortunato", since clearly, being murdered at the carnival might not fit most people's definitions of the word "fortunate".  Another example of irony that might provide an interesting opening would be to begin with some sort of commentary on Montresor's self-articulated code of personal honor, which, apparently involves premeditated murder when one feels slighted or insulted by a friend or acquaintance.  Yet another approach might be to tie the carnival and costumes to this time of year, with Halloween approaching, and comment on the presence of evil in the story, perhaps contrasted with some of the less-than-child-friendly associations Halloween has had over the years.