In Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Cask of Amontillado’, the trowel is a significant symbol that foreshadows the impending doom of Fortunato. The protagonist, Montresor, mentions the trowel casually when he is confronted by Fortunato about being a mason. This seemingly innocuous moment hints at Montresor’s sinister intentions and the completion of his revenge.
The trowel represents Montresor’s tools of destruction. Just as a trowel is used for laying bricks and constructing walls, Montresor uses it to seal Fortunato’s fate within the catacombs. The initial introduction of the trowel in the dialogue also serves to establish Montresor’s cunning and manipulative nature, as he leads Fortunato deeper into the catacombs under the guise of friendship while secretly planning his entombment.
Additionally, the trowel emphasizes the themes of betrayal and irony. Montresor’s claim of being a mason is both true and false; he is a ‘mason’ in the sense that he is constructing a wall to trap his victim. Thus, the trowel not only symbolizes Montresor’s imminent act of revenge but also foreshadows the literal and metaphorical walls that he builds around Fortunato, leading to a chilling conclusion.