Short Stories

Question 1

Themes in “A Cask of Amontillado”

Answer 1

• Revenge: Montresor’s meticulous plan to punish Fortunato for perceived insults.
• Pride: Fortunato’s pride in his wine connoisseurship leads to his downfall.
• Deception: Montresor’s manipulation and deceit to lure Fortunato into the catacombs.
• Mortality and Death: The inevitability of death and the horror of being buried alive.

Question 2

Characters in “A Cask of Amontillado”

Answer 2

Montresor: Vengeful, cunning, unreliable narrator, obsessed with retribution.
Fortunato: Naive, prideful, unsuspecting victim, connoisseur of wine.

Question 3

Structure and Plot in “A Cask of Amontillado”

Answer 3

• Exposition: Montresor reveals his intent for revenge against Fortunato.
• Rising Action: Montresor lures Fortunato into the catacombs with the promise of Amontillado.
• Climax: Montresor chains Fortunato to the wall and begins to brick him in.
• Falling Action: Fortunato’s realization and desperate pleas.
• Resolution: Montresor completes the wall, leaving Fortunato to die; reveals the crime has gone undiscovered for fifty years.

Question 4

Literary Devices in “A Cask of Amontillado”

Answer 4

• Irony: Dramatic irony in Fortunato’s name and fate; situational irony in the carnival setting.
• Foreshadowing: Montresor’s words hint at his true intentions; the trowel as a symbol of his plan.
• Symbolism: The catacombs represent death; the Amontillado represents Montresor’s bait.
• Narrative Style: First-person unreliable narrator, creates suspense and ambiguity.

Question 5

Themes in “A Son of the Gods”

Answer 5

• Courage and Sacrifice: The story highlights the bravery and selflessness of a soldier who faces certain death.
• Duty and Honor: The soldier’s actions reflect the strong sense of duty and honor inherent in military service.
• Individual vs. Collective: The narrative contrasts the individual’s heroism against the broader backdrop of war.
• War and Humanity: The story explores the human aspects and personal sacrifices within the brutal realities of war.

Question 6

Characters in “A Son of the Gods”

Answer 6

• The Heroic Soldier (Unnamed): Represents bravery, self-sacrifice, and the ideal of a noble warrior.
• The Commanding Officer: Symbolizes leadership and the burden of making life-and-death decisions.
• Fellow Soldiers: Represent the collective military unit, observing and impacted by the hero’s actions.

Question 7

Plot in “A Son of the Gods”

Answer 7

• Exposition: The story begins with a military unit positioned in a tense standoff, facing an enemy across a battlefield.
• Rising Action: The commanding officer identifies a critical task that requires a volunteer, aware that it likely means death.
• Climax: The unnamed soldier steps forward, volunteering for the perilous mission, and proceeds to carry it out with unwavering bravery.
• Falling Action: The soldier advances alone, drawing enemy fire, and ultimately falls, but his actions inspire his comrades.
• Resolution: The story concludes with the soldiers reflecting on the heroic sacrifice, underscoring the themes of honor and the human cost of war.

Question 8

Themes in “An Occurrence at Owl-Creek Bridge”

Answer 8

• Illusion vs. Reality: The blurring of perception and actual events, exploring how the mind distorts reality under stress.
• The Nature of Time: Time is manipulated, with moments of intense experience stretching into perceived hours.
• Death and Escape: The story delves into the human instinct to escape death and the psychological experience of facing mortality.
• War and Its Consequences: Highlights the brutality and impersonal nature of war, and its impact on individuals.

Question 9

Characters in “An Occurrence at Owl-Creek Bridge”

Answer 9

• Peyton Farquhar: A civilian plantation owner and Confederate sympathizer, who becomes the central figure in the story. His longing for glory and romanticized view of war lead to his capture and execution.
• Union Soldiers: The executioners who carry out Farquhar’s hanging, representing the harsh and indifferent machinery of war.
• Mrs. Farquhar: Peyton’s wife, who appears briefly in his imagined escape, symbolizing home, safety, and the life he longs to return to.

Question 10

Plot of “An Occurrence at Owl-Creek Bridge”

Answer 10

• Exposition: The story opens with Peyton Farquhar standing on a railroad bridge, bound and about to be hanged by Union soldiers during the Civil War.
• Rising Action: As Farquhar is dropped from the bridge, the narrative shifts to his thoughts and background, revealing how he was lured into a trap by a Union scout.
• Climax: In a perceived escape, the rope breaks, and Farquhar plunges into the water below, freeing himself and beginning a desperate journey home.
• Falling Action: Farquhar navigates through the woods, facing numerous physical and psychological challenges, driven by the hope of reuniting with his family.
• Resolution: Just as Farquhar reaches his home and is about to embrace his wife, the story abruptly shifts back to the present, revealing that his escape was an illusion; he is dead, hanging from the bridge.