~"It was not the old man who vexed me, but his Evil Eye"

~"His eye would trouble me no more."

Eye of providence, all-seeing eye, seeking knowledge to be a higher power, being scared of God and being seen by him

fear of darkness and the unknown, being able to sense the thickness of the room, evil, mystery, and being afraid

Feelings are said to be a weakness and a flaw

In this story, the main character feels bad on the outside however, in his heart he does not feel any resentment to his victim

~"I had scarcely laid the first tier of the masonry when I discovered that the intoxication of Fortunato had in a great measure worn off."

~In a typical Mason fashion, Montresor makes a big sacrifice resulting in his loss of innocence in exchange for gnosis. Montresor kills good luck/ fortune in exchange for gnosis.

~As he takes the life of fortunato he is initiated into the Free Masonry community

~enlightened from darkness to light

~fragility of life

~transition from mortality to immortality

~dangerous knowledge/ dangers of playing God

The main character hid his victim's dismembered body under the floorboards in his home, nowhere the human eye could see or sense, The floorboards are made of wood symbolizing salvation, the victim ultimately seeks justice at the end of the story signifying his redemption/ salvation

God is mentioned throughout the poem signifying fear but also respect, Guilt takes over the main character when police enter his home

~ " We had passed through walls of piled bones"

~ "From the fourth side the bones had been thrown down, and lay promiscuously upon the earth, forming at one point a mound of some size."

~Bones represent mortality and remind of the fragility of life

~restoration of life after death, resurrection from the grave

Three-Father, Son, Holy Spirt

Three- Three wise men

Three- Curiosity

Three men entering the Main Characters homes symbolizes the unearthing of the truth

~"Would a madman have been so wise as this?"

Madmen signifying crazy people, loon animals, full moon "Luna" "Lunatic turning rabid when a full moon is out, people do not necessarily know they are mad or want to admit it

~ " into the inmost recesses of catacombs."

~ " I placed my hand upon the solid fabric of the catacombs, and felt satisfied."

~ Underground garden of death

~Paris catacombs are filled with free Mason symbols

~The catacombs are symbolic of a mason's journey through the different degrees of masonry

~"I had finished a portion of the last and the eleventh; there remained but a single stone to be fitted and plastered in."

~ "a mask of black silk"

~He wears a dark, silken cloak that shrouds himself

~He enshrouds a mason in masonry

~Whether his black mask is a plague mask, or just a mask, the secrecy in concealing his identity hints at masonry

~ "With these materials and with the aid of my trowel, I began vigorously to wall up the entrance of the niche. "

~ "When at last the clanking subsided, I resumed the trowel,"

~Is meant to symbolize unity and brotherly love, but in this case is used to kill one of the Masons

~Raises the question of Montresor being a Mason or an anit-Mason

~importance of building a strong foundation of character and harmony

~"You? Impossible! A mason?"

"A mason," I replied."

When Masonry is mentioned it nods to the creation of new things by using old things. Gaining knowledge is power and by being a mason you are able to attain that power you are seeking

~"but in the matter of old wines he was sincere."

~"We shall have many a rich laugh about it at the palazzo—he! he! he!—over our wine—he! he! he!""

~Wine in freemasonry represents simple/ cheap pleasures of life

~symbolic of refreshment

~used in freemasonic rituals

~the servants who built Solomon's temple were payed with corn, oil, and wine

~wine can also represent sacrifice, wealth, and god's blessing

~because Poe uses alcohol differently than the Masons view it, it argues his stance against freemasonry!!

~THERE ARE 11 DEGREES IN MASONIC INITIATION

~master number symbolic of enlightenment

~11 faithful apostles

~spiritual growth

~is he mocking their initiation by killing a dude in his story with 11 layers of masonry?

~ "The wine sparkled in his eyes and the bells jingled"

~ " His eyes flashed with a fierce light"

~Dangers of playing God

~He is anti-masonic

~False chimney jabs at freemasonry: argues that freemasonry has a false front with secrets behind