The Color of Amontillado: The Influence of Blackface Minstrelsy in “The Cask of Amontillado”

Abstract

Scholars have devoted a great deal of scrutiny to the background and historical context of “The Cask of Amontillado,” Poe's well-known tale of the dish best served cold. This article proposes that an overlooked area of cultural context for this tale is the influence of blackface minstrel shows. The work of other scholars is supported and enhanced by the application of the minstrel lens. Montresor's donning of the “mask of black silk” represents his appropriation of blackness and his use of common minstrel devices, such as homonymic comedy and inversion of mastery, demonstrate aspects of the minstrel shows of the early 1800s. The question is why does Montresor don his mask as he is leaving the streets of carnival? The convention would be to wear the mask in the street and remove it when going into the vaults away from the revelry. Fortunato, in his motley costume, represents the minstrel character of the “dandy.” A close reading of the tale illustrates elements of the blackface minstrel show, ending with a grotesque effigy to “Mr. Bones.” The use of minstrel tropes also speaks to Poe's identification with the uncanny Other in his work.