The narrator in “The Cask of Amontillado” intentions are clear, he is angry and vows to seek revenge against the person who has done him wrong. In this short story, Poe writes, “I must not only punish, but punish with impunity. A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong” (168). The narrator, Montresor, evokes emotions of anger and is upset that Fortunato has embarrassed him.
1. The entire story is based on the fact that Fortunato has wronged Montresor many times, and Montresor dealt with them until Fortunato “ventured upon insult,” which caused Montresor to “vow revenge.” Though it seems the “insult” must be so terrible that Montresor is willing to murder him for it, the reader can not be entirely sure that the killing is justified since Montresor is not of sound mind. Because Montresor is the narrator, and unreliable at that, the reader is forced to learn about the events through a perspective tainted by emotions and bias. For example, the person telling the tale may embellish or downplay events in the story in order to look like the “good guy” without completely lying.
(166) Montresor killed Fortunato, and he will leave him to die. Montresor’s anger and want for revenge lead him to a mistake of killing Fortunato. As you can see, the character clearly expresses that anger can lead to bad
In Poe’s story “The Cask of Amontillado” revenge take over Montresor’s life. Montresor is nice on the outside, but is planning revenge on the inside. “My heart grew sick, it was the dampness of the catacombs that made it so.” This is after he kills Fortunato he is on his way out. He is really getting depressed from killing him for an insult.
Montresor, the narrator, goes mad on his own will. Montresor has a violent mind set, because “The horror, of the dark, of the unrestrained violence of a mind set loose from social boundaries, spring upon him, and he recoils. However, by touching the “solid fabric of the catacombs” he is reassured; the material world has triumphed over the dark of the mind” (Bloom par. 8). Montresor sets aside from the path of normal to a new path of insanity.
Oedipus’s arrogance blinds him from seeing clues that lead him to the truth. His pomposity caused him to receive the punishment he was determined to enforce on the murderer of King Laius. The constant reference to blindness and darkness indicates Oedipus’s fate. In addition, it emphasizes the dramatic irony throughout the story. Oedipus discovered that fate is what brought him his luxury and his downfall.
A villain is someone who causes evil to others and is denounced by many people for their actions. The Punisher’s methods of Justice are constantly criticized because he is not the typical superhero: he does not aid the police by capturing the villain, but instead kills them. By killing criminals, one could say that he is a villain because he kills making him the monster that he does not want to be. So why even bother “helping” if he adds to the problem? One may also argue that in making the decision that the antagonists are villains, and they deserve to die, he has made the ultimate decision of life or death.
Ultimately it comes down to this, insane or sane? Insane would be the perfect way of describing a person being mad, killing a man for no reason, and laughing at a horrifying death. After having the narrator showing so many things to prove he is insane rather than sane is pretty clear. The author allows a visual understanding of the narrator in the “Tell Tale Heart” from having many specific details about his point of view.
The sight of a human killing another displays humanity is unforgiving, and murderous. The murder of Curley’s wife demonstrates a dark, heavy feeling to the book, an unexpected one. Steinbeck creates an ominous tone through the use of Lennie’s killing. After Curley’s wife is dead, Lennie runs to the brushes.
Indirect characterization is used through Oedipus’ dialogue to the Choragos, as he describes how utterly powerful he is and warns “those who fail me, may the gods deny them the fruit of the earth...and may they rot”(62). He is completely submerged in his pride and wealth that anyone who may accuse him as a murderer may have an unpleasant surprise by his order. This characterization not only brings suspicion of himself among the people of Thebes, but plays a role in his eventual downfall. Also, the reader, who understands the actions Oedipus has committed on the night of Laius’ murder, can say that he commits these sins in complete ignorance. However, he deserves punishment because he became so proud that he does not shy from attempting to rebel against his fate.
In the story ¨The Cask of Amontillado¨ by Edgar Allan Poe is a powerful story about revenge that takes readers into the mind of a murderer. Montresor is a perfect example of an unreliable narrator because he was capable of burying Fortunato into a vault. He vows revenge on Fortunato for an insult. He can’t be trusted, even if he’d be lying about Fortunato’s death. Fortunato´s name means ¨fortunate¨ which in reality, he didn 't really turn out that way.
Unfortunate Fate in “The Cask of Amontillado” From the beginning of the of the story “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe, the narrator, Montresor, opens the story stating that the “thousand injuries” and irreparable insult caused by Fortunato won’t stay unpunished, and he seeks for revenge (Poe 467). Poe creates a sense of terror while he guides the audience to the unexpected revenge. The terror that Poe creates in the audience is only successful due to the use of literary elements. The use of symbolism, foreshadowing, and irony are essential to build the suspense that guides the reader throughout the story to a tragic ending.
Luring an unsuspecting rival into the deep catacombs of the Montresor family and eventually resulting in an inhuman death, Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” stands out from contemporary “mystery” in that instead of leaving the reader asking “who” and “how,” The Cask of Amontillado spurs the relevant question “why” (Baraban 47). Composed in 1846 shortly after Poe rose to fame due to a complexly written poem,: “Poe envied the success of lesser writers and entangled himself in bitter battles with these rivals, which lead to his banishment from the New York and New England literary circles” (Poe 390). Throughout the narrative discussion between Montresor and Fortunato indicate the wealthy aristocratic lineage of Montresor’s family, however
The Effects of Irony in Understanding Theme In reading any form of literature, whether it be poems or fiction short stories, there is an underlying theme or moral to the work. In some cases, interpreting these themes proves to be difficult or tedious for readers. In order to alleviate this trouble, authors utilize various different literary elements to help convey the meaning of their piece. Some of these include the use of tone, setting, or irony that contribute to the story, thereby adding depth and more interesting elements to the plot.