The Analysis Of The Story "The Cask Of Amontillado" By Edgar Allan Poe
Montresor’s Deepest Wrong
When considering the justifications for revenge, many factors contribute to sympathizing with the victim; moreover, an experience told through the eyes of the perpetrator is one vulnerable to bias and may not always be trustworthy. Edgar Allan Poe writes Fortunato and Montresor from “The Cask of Amontillado” as rivals who are connected in the same social circle. By diving to the root of their rivalry, Poe writes that Fortunato not only inflicts physical harm towards Montresor, but also insults him harshly. Ironically, the narrator, Montresor, states that “upon insult I vowed revenge,” (274) which describes the blinding level of pride for which the insult affected. Moreover, it becomes clear that Montresor allows his hatred to guide him towards Fortunato’s murder. And though this act is not completely without reason, Fortunato’s antics do not merit his death—in fact, readers have significant reason to sympathize Fortunato’s murder when using inductive reasoning to realize that they are experiencing the story through the narrative of a psychopath.
Driving the murderous intent behind Montresor’s plan was his passion for revenge. He declares from the beginning, “I must not only punish but punish with impunity,” (274) and shows clear intent on ending Fortunato’s physical and emotional antics indefinitely. And in order to maintain this fervor, Montresor continues to paint himself as the true victim of the exchange by saying “neither by word nor deed had I given Fortunato cause to doubt my good will” (274). By having Fortunato’s insult be a drive for murder, Montresor either does not feel the physical afflictions to be serious, and/or has immense pride in the subject of insult. In either case, it reveals that the narrator believes their exchange of wrongdoings to be measurable on a scale; moreover, Montresor decides to pursue murder in order to—in his own eyes—achieve balance and end the cycle. During their first exchange after Montresor plots Fortunato’s murder, the narrator is “so pleased to see [Fortunato] that [he] thought [he] should never have done wringing [Fortunato’s] hand,” (275) and this shows Montresor’s genuine happiness towards murder.
Though Montresor is acting through the entire conversation, Fortunato expresses real sentiment to help identify the Amontillado—though, albeit, out of competition with Luchresi—and puts all future plans and his own health aside to help the narrator. This stubborn passion is written off by Montresor as Fortunato’s “weak point” instead of recognizing a token of help. Montresor feels sympathy for his victim’s well-being as he fakes insisting upon asking Luchresi for help instead of clearly ill Fortunato. And though it was Fortunato’s own stubbornness that allowed him to follow Montresor, the deceit and dark intentions of the narrator show that Fortunato is coerced into his own murder plan since the beginning of the conversation.
Coughing, limping, and actively fighting throughout the journey down the Montresor family’s cellar, Fortunato shows great effort in helping the narrator. Montresor continues to offer empty condolences on Fortunato’s health and watches as his victim continues closer to his grave. In one moment, both characters begin drinking wine and Montresor makes a comment that he drinks “to [Fortunato’s] long life” (276), and this joke is a clear reflection on our narrator taking preemptive murder lightly. Fortunato, on the other hand, drinks “to the buried that repose around us” (276) and comments positively on the Montresor family’s crest and motto.
And after allowing Fortunato to get significantly drunk, Montresor begins “Throwing the links about his waist” in ways to chain him to the wall—all the while, Fortunato “was too much astounded to resist.” (278). With the victim now immobilized, drunk, and out of breath, Montresor begins teasing him with “Once more let me implore you to return. No? Then I must positively leave you. But I must first render you all the little attention in my power” (278). While Fortunato quickly sobers himself to our narrator’s wall-building, “A succession of loud and shrill screams” radiate from his chained body, and Montresor “replied to the yells” and “surpassed them in volume and strength” in an attempt to one-up Fortunato’s cries for help (278). Lastly, as the final stones are put into place, Fortunato gives a final plea for mercy with "For the love of God, Montresor!" as his hopes that this is merely kin to one of his light-hearted pranks fades—to which Montresor replies coldly "Yes," I said, "for the love of God!" (279).
Conclusively, the events that take place within “The Cask of Amontillado” is one driven by over-passionate revenge under extremes. Though unstated, the alternatives to handling Fortunato’s physical/emotional attacks very well beyond murder. The narrator reaffirms his character’s stubborn passion by being blinded with the idea that his victim deserves to die in order to balance his own pain and end the cycle. However, the narrator is not a manifestation of justice, and even when Poe writes the story in Montresor’s perspective—attempting to paint Fortunato as an incessant evil—there is only more reason to believe that the true evil is our narrator’s inability to see the injustice of his own actions.
Work Cited:
Edgar Allan Poe. “The Cask of Amontillado”. Making Arguments about Literature: a Compact Guide and Anthology, Eds. John Schilb and John Clifford. New York: Bedford. Martins, 2005, 274-279
