Stories of the Civil War Era

"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and " The Cask of Amontillado" are two very different stories of the civil war era with very different plots. However, they both carry the same underlying message, unrest. In "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" the environment of sleepy hollow causes extreme anxiety for the main character. Throughout "The Cask of Amontillado" the main character is terrorized by his conscience's morality and the horror of the murder he committed. The message of these stories, both written in years close to the civil war, are a reflection of the civil war because the represent a time of unrest in America. The period of American history in the years leading up to the great civil war were filled with anxiety between political parties, genders, races, and people in general. American citizens (and also non-citizens since slaves were not considered citizens) throughout the country lived lives of unease that was reflective of the division of people in their culture. It is only natural that writers such as Washington Irving and Edgar Allan Poe would either consciously or subconsciously incorporate this American culture theme into their literature. These two works of literature, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" (1820) and "The Cask on Amontillado" (1846), reflect this time through the emotions portrayed in their writing.