Theme Of Ignorance In The Cask Of Amontillado

Martin Luther King Junior once said, “There is nothing more dangerous in all the world than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity” (Luther 1963) While blunt, Luther beautifully explains that ignorance is not a human virtue and instead is dangerous. Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” is another example of how sincere ignorance is dangerous to the individual. Fortunato is well liked among his peers and is a respected individual when it comes to the connoisseurship of wine. However, unbenounced to him, he has also made an enemy of Montresor. The night of a great carnival, Fortunato is found highly intoxicated and eager to follow Montresor by any means to acquire the taste of the rare amontillado that was promised (Poe 3-4). Through Montresor’s narration of this classic tale, the theme ignorance is dangerous, exemplified through the

Fortunato is a fun loving character who is able to live life almost carefreely. However, Fortunato is also full of ignorance in regards to his current position with Montresor, especially when he is drunk. Due to his persistent ignorance and pride, Fortunato fails to see any danger or harm that he faces; instead, he only sees the hope of tasting a rare wine despite the obvious signs to the contrary. He misses his chances to turn back and his chances to escape, instead, Fortunato invests himself fully in the venture. By the time he realizes his ignorance, Fortunato finds himself chained to a wall while another one is being built in front of him. When Fortunato realizes there is no further hope, he stops his attempts to sway Montresor to release him, and instead of hanging his head in defeat signaling the final jingle of his bells. Fortunato let his ignorance take the best of him, which ultimately leads to his demise. It is this pressing theme of ignorance leading to detrimental situations that Poe conveyed through this