Consider the different way that each author entwines the Gothic fundamentals of literature into their story. In "The Cask of Amontillado," the narrator, Montresor waits until the carnival season, a time of "supreme madness," to seek revenge on Fortunato who insulted him. Hawthorne doesn't show us the wild life and times of the carnival season, but he does show us the wild side of the puritan life when we see the townspeople performing satanic rituals in the woods.

The carnival and catacombs that Poe describes, are examples of the fantastic settings that are part of the Romantic story.

"The nitre!" I said; "see, it increases. It hangs like moss upon the vaults. We are below the river's bed. The drops of moisture trickle among the bones. (76)

Hawthorne doesn't really have a fantastic setting; his is more of a mystery. Where is goodman Brown going? What will he find? And finally, at the end of the story, along with the narrator and goodman Brown we ask ourselves, "Had goodman Brown falle

Goodman Brown does not want to believe what he has been told, because if what the old man says is true, than goodman Brown does not even know the true lives of his ancestors.

Finally, both authors use Freud's Interpretation of Dreams to develop their story. Freudian criticism states that the meaning of a literary work lies in the author's psyche, or their Id, Ego, and Superego. The Id is the unconscious self, where someone hides their deepest fears and desires, the things they do not want anyone else to see. Montresor has a desire to keep his good name, and he will stop at nothing to maintain his status, including kill Fortunato. Montresor has a huge ego; he is willing to kill Fortunato because he insulted Montresor. Montresor hides behind this friendly attitude just to lure Fortunato into the catacombs, so he can kill him. Montresor never feels any shame or guilt for the actions he took against Fortunato; Montresor felt that he was justified in his decision to kill Fortunato because of the insults spoken against him. Young goodman Brown's Id stands out plain as day, he fears that the town is not who they say they are and that they all lead secret!

Secondly, the Romantic story often will have the character demonstrating characteristics of the Grotesque. Montresor's state-of-mind can be looked at as an abnormality. In the beginning of the story he claims that Fortunato has given him a thousand injuries that he endured patiently, but when Fortunato dared insult, he vowed revenge. Montresor wants to kill Fortunato for insulting his good name, which is ironic considering all the skeletons under the house. Montresor also demonstra

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1106
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)