Is Montresor A Connoisseur

Montresor the Connoisseur of Death
The purpose for a story, particularly one that deals with graphic material such as murder, is not always crystal clear, an excellent example of a story where the purpose is shrouded in mystery is Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”. At the end of “The Cask of Amontillado” it is revealed that the character Montresor is narrating this tale. This leads the reader to wonder what motivation could Montresor have for retelling this story fifty years later. The story places heavy emphasis on being a connoisseur or expert at something, in fact Montresor’s whole plan is focused around this one thing. When the tale is viewed with the perspective that Montresor is an unreliable narrator, then it can be seen

He gives very little information about Fortunato, past that he is a wine connoisseur. There is no mention of what Fortunato does for leisure, his family, or even his job. In fact, the only details the reader receives on Fortunato paint him as a fool, with his costume, his drunken attitude, and obliviousness Montresor is focuses on the facts that make Fortunato look bad; he not only wants Fortunato dead but he also wants Fortunato’s name discredited. Montresor tells the reader even less about himself because there is no background to who Montresor is, what he does, or even what kind of contact he has with Fortunato. The only true details of Montresor that are given must be implied and give a sense of intelligence. In addition, he gives little to no details about the carnival, such as where it was, why the carnival was happening, or even why he chose this particular day to enact his plan. From these details, or lack of details, it seems Montresor doesn’t want his audience to know this information. The audience is supposed to simply look at Fortunato a fool and Montresor a genius, the harbinger of death. The facts such as who these people were, the time, or the setting are not important to Montresor’s focus in the