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Detective’s Journal It was dark out no sunlight came out of the sky above it was playing hide and seek and it didn’t want to be found. Everything around me was quiet, no crickets sounded the streets, it was a ghost town. It was the carnival season everyone came together to have some fun, some dressed up and disguised themselves. As I started to approach the carnival the noise began to rise. I have decided to come to the carnival to make sure everyone was having a good time and no violence was brought. I was dressed in all black with a silver mask. As I was walking around I saw a man wearing a mask made of black silk approach a man dressed in a …show more content…
As I asked questions I found out that the guy in the black mask was named Montresor and the guy with a cone hat with bells was named Fortunato. Fortunato is very devoted to wine and loves everything about it. I also discovered that Montresor has underground vaults. Montresor was a mysterious man, you never knew what he was going to do. I did not differ from Montresor I too was very independent and did not share my thoughts with others (Parallelism), however he was acting more and more mysterious as the night grew (Personification). Later that evening I saw Montresor and Fortunato heading down to the vaults as if they were on a mission to find something. As the time passed, they were nowhere in sight. I grew anxious, could something have gone horribly wrong? I thought to myself. A little while passed and I saw Montresor coming out from the vaults alone, Fortunato was nowhere to be seen. I decided to go down to the vaults myself and see if Fortunato was okay. As I made it down to the damp vaults covered in nitre, I saw corpses around me which I thought
Montresor must trick and manipulate Fortunato to accomplish his goal of revenge. He tells Fortunato the reason he is at the ...
Fortunato “takes possession” of Montresor’s arm, for which he suffers (716) in order to carry out his plan. Poe’s use of possession and suffer give the impression that Montresor is being afflicted again by Fortunato. Once Montresor reveals this meeting at this evening is no coincidence by divulging he made sure none of his attendants would be home. By giving the direct orders to be home. Poe shows us that Montresor was not respected or feared by his servants’ actions. The servants’ leaving after being given a direct order to stay does give credence to the fact that Montresor must be very methodical and unyielding to his schedule. Only once Fortunato to the catacombs does he betray his own premise. Montresor refers to Fortunato as his “poor friend” (716). At this point Poe has depicted this instigator of a “thousand injuries” as a drunken jester that can barely catch his breath at this point in the story. Now Montresor is showing some sympathy towards him. At this point the transition is complete. Where the two men stopped at the entrance to Fortunato’s tomb, this is the moment that leaves no doubt that Montresor is the villain and Fortunato is the
Montressor had said “In pace requiescat!”, but rest in peace Fortunato did not. As Fortunato took his last breath he heard Montressor yell his name and then leave. A strange sensation then came over Fortunato and he could sense the energy flowing out of him, a rising feeling held him above the ground as he became a restless spirit. He thought to himself “Why am I not allowed to go? What must be keeping me here?”, and then recalled that it was Montressor that had done this to him, Montressor that had led him into the vaults and then sealed him up to die of pneumonia. Revenge, that was what had drove Montressor to murder, and what was keeping Fortunato in the mortal world. Fortunato realized that he must find Montressor, and exact his revenge before he would be able to pass over. And down there, in the deepest, darkest vault, he planned his revenge.
Continually drawing Fortunato’s attention to the nitre on the walls, seems a symbolic manifestation of the web of lies Montresor must weave throughout the journey. He uses Fortunato’s vanity as a weapon against him, "Come," I said, with decision, "we will go back; your health is precious. You are rich, respected, admired, beloved; you are happy, as once I was. You are a man to be missed. For me it is no matter” (Poe).
He did not show even by words that he is going to kill. Also, he did not let Fortunato to know that he intended any grudge against him “..neither by word nor deed had I given Fortunato cause to doubt my good will... He did not perceive that my smile now was at the thought of his immolation (8-10).” One night while Fortunato was drunk, Montresor told him that he bought a barrel of wine called Amontillado “But I have received a pipe of what passes for Amontillado, and I have my doubts (25).” He understood that Fortunato “prided himself on his connoisseurship in wine (12).” He attracted him to going to his house to check the drink by saying that he might invite Luchresi to do it, a seeming rival of Fortunato 's, instead “As you are engaged, I am on my way to Luchresi. If any one has a critical turn it is he. He will tell me (37-38).” When they left, Montresor put on a mask and quickly took the way to his property. He was sure nobody could see them together on Fortunato 's last night. Moreover, Montresor completely knew Fortunato and used the knowledge versus him. He planned his deed carefully and carried it out slowly. It seems that Montresor anticipated his revenge with joy. While they traveled down the cavern, Montresor gives Fortunato many opportunities to leave. Fortunato looks weak against the niter, which is growing on the walls, and repeatedly coughs. Montresor commented on Fortunato 's health and asked
I had told them that I should not return until the morning, and had given them explicit orders not to stir from the house. These orders were sufficient, I well knew, to insure their immediate disappearance, one and all, as soon as my back was turned." Montresor must have been planning this for months, he has put everything into place to ensure he gets his revenge with no consequences. He waited until carnival so the whole city would be loud, knowing that it is carnival he knew Fortunato would be fairly intoxicated making him easily persuadable. Also because he knew it would be carnival he knew everyone would be dressed up and incognito so no one could ever identify him to keep himself innocent. But before all of that he went down through the catacombs and laid out a special area for what would be
Montresor’s cleverness is displayed multiple times within the selection, many times with irony. An excellent example is his charade of compassion towards Fortunado’s well being in the catacombs. As they venture deeper in the catacombs, Montresor asks Fortunado of his cough, only pretending to care while this also gains a little bit of Fortunado’s trust. Another example of Montresor’s cleverness is continually giving Fortunado wine to increase his state of unawareness as Montresor says, “Here, Fortunado. Drink
...m were less desperate in their search, the story would very likely have a completely different outcome. Montresor and Fortunato both thought they were finding their freedom but were actually running straight into true confinement. It was not until it was too late that either of them realized their mistake. They madly rushed into a dead end with no possible escape to freedom left.
down Fortunato. Montresor was very pleasant and kind whenever he was around Fortunato so he
With Fortunado dead and buried, Montresor has won. Thanks to his deception he has the revenge he wanted for so long. There are no more insults or injuries for Montresor to tolerate. Fortunato is dead, never to be seen again. Because Montresor believes what he has done is not wrong he does not have to worry about the guilt or shame afterwards.
Montresor is our narrator so he is our default point of view, what makes this more interesting is that this narrator has conflicting viewpoints and actions with his story. With lines like how the names might be fake with the lines, “"The Montresor’s," I replied, "were a great and numerous family.” (Poe line 67)” it implies that this is a fake name and the narrator is hiding his identity through a believable lie. He’s an unreliable character and is also unsympathetic since he has killed a person over something pity and chosen to be proud of
Carefully, cautiously the Montresor plotted precisely how he would exact revenge upon Fortunato. Much time and great energy was devoted to this plan, selecting a time that would be best: during carnival when the town would be celebratory, his servants apt to run off and join the celebration, when the two could silently disappear without notice or question. No detail is forgotten; he allows for no deterrents. He follows through with such a confidence that never does he stumble or hesitate in carrying out his plan. The Montresor indicates that he had never given. To continue with this ploy, he even goes so far as to express false concern for Fortunato as they pass through the catacombs. Blaming the nitre and damp, the Montresor suggests that they turn back as not to compromise Fortunato’s ill health, though he has no intent of doing so. Never once until the very end did Fortunato have cause to suspect that there were any foul plans afoot.
While at the carnival, Montresor bought some of the finest Amontillado wine to use in his vengeful plan to murder Fortunato. He then meets his "friend," Fortunato. Fortunato is wearing "a tight fitting parti-striped dress and head is surmounted by the conical cap and bells" (Poe 528). By him wearing this outfit, makes it great for the narrator because he is going to make a fool out of Fortunato. Montresor is a manipulative person. He challenges Fortunato's connoisseurship on wine tasting and leads him to his family estate.
...rfeited” (33). Montresor has inquired about Fortunato’s health throughout their walk to the catacombs. It is too late for him to change his mind so all that is left to do is seal him in.
The major theme in the story is the deep hatred buried within the outwardly congenial Montresor. This makes it vital that the story be told with Montresor's thoughts known to the reader. The tale simply would not work if it were told from Fortunato's point of view, or from a dramatic/objective angle. An omniscient view would function, but by knowing only Montresor's thoughts the reader develops a trust in him, and this causes the story's theme to have a more personal effect on the reader.