The Tell-Tale Heart and The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allen Poe

The narrators in both works prove to be similar in several ways. In “The Tell-Tale Heart” the story is told through a psycho narrator; both stories contain apparent psychological imbalances within their story tellers, “ -his central character or narrator so psychologically obsessed with a mysterious phenomenon that everything in the story irresistibly revolves around it...”(May, Charles E.) There really is no motive for the murder of the old man; just his eye that he cannot stand. He repeats himself frequently, trying to assure the reader, and himself, that he is sane; leading to believe he may not be psychologically stable. In “The Cask of Amontillado” the narrator can also be considered a mad man by the way he plays games with his victim. Montressor says to Fortunato that they should go home because “his health is precious.” This conversation is ironic because Montressor does not really want to protect Fortunato's health, but to kill him in the catacombs. Both of the narrators are proud of their murders and brag about them within the stories. Not only are the narrators similar but the settings are alike once the murders take place, both locations of the victims are buried in a dark place with no escape.

Along with comparisons, there are also many contrast between The Tell Tale Heart and The Cask of Amontillado. In The Tell Tale Heart the man killed out of insanity over the old man’s eye, but in The Cask of Amontillado, the narrator killed out of jealousy, “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as best I could; but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge.” In The Tell Tale Heart the narrator panicked and cut the body up in order to hide it, while the narrator in The Cask of Amontillado remains calm during and after the crime was committed. Another difference between them is that the narrator in “The Tell Tale Heart” confessed to the crime out of guilt and insanity, “Villains!’ I shrieked, ’dissemble no more! I admit the deed!--tear up the planks!--here, here!--it is the beating of his hideous heart!” In The Cask of Amontillado the narrator is never caught. After looking at the difference’s between Poe’s work it is very entertaining to compare the stories to his life.

The Tale Tell Heart” is a short story in which Edgar Allen Poe, the author, illustrates the madness and complexity of an individual. The unnamed narrator, who is Poe’s main character, is sharing his story of him murdering an old man on the sole reason of his dislike for his filmy blue eye, which reminds him of a vulture. He meticulously plans the murder of this old man, and attempts to cover up the act through his twister persona. In the "Tell-Tale Heart", Poe uses satire, imagery, and symbolism to portray how startlingly perverted the mind of the narrator is and how guilt always prevails.

Reading Edgar Allen Poe’s works such as “The Cask of Amontillado” and “Tell-Tale Heart” are both written around 1840’s and written in the gothic style. Poe displays his horror short stories, in which the reader can differentiate his signature style. Although many of Poe’s significant works may have a similar theme, the reader can distinguish the themes through the characters in “The Cask of Amontillado” and “Tell-Tale Heart.”

The power to change is man’s greatest struggles, since a strong influence that lead them to where they are now. It is also the price and journey that both Montresor in Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “The Tell Tale Heart” and the narrator of the “The Cask of Amontillado”, another of poe’s story. In both story the narrators, both indicate that they want to get rid of an addiction they had that is driving them to madness, and in order to do so they, must do it at any cost. Both narrator clearly plan on their instincts and carefully plans out methods in which leads them to their satisfaction. These stories contain many similarities and differences in the use of tone, irony and symbolism, of the protagonist. Through these characters and their actions,

...him. The differences between the narrators in the short stories The Cask of Amontillado, The Fall of the House of Usher, and The Tell-Tale Heart makes each story truly unique and gives a different tone to each story.

The setting of a story lays the foundation for how a story is constructed. It gives a sense of direction to where the climax is headed. The setting also gives the visual feedback that the readers need to picture themselves into the story and comprehend it better. Determining the setting can be a major element towards drawing in the reader and how they relate to a story. A minor change in the plot can drastically alter to perception, interpretation, and direction of the message that is delivered. These descriptive elements can be found within these short stories: “the Cask of Amontillado”, “The Storm”, “The Things They Carried”, “Everyday Use”, and “The Story of an Hour”.

Cask of Amontillado The author of “The Cask of Amontillado,” Edgar Allan Poe, lets us know in the opening sentence that the character telling the story, Montresor, vows revenge. Montresor’s target of revenge is Fortunato, but Montresor never specifically says what Fortunato did to him or his family. However, Montresor’s fear of Fortunato avenging any threat of revenge leads us to believe his plan is well thought out and executed in a very matter of fact way. Seeking this revenge on Fortunato has not made Montresor feel guilty for what he has done. It seems as if revenge is just part of his nature.

Edger Allen Poe was born to traveling actors in Boston on January 19, 1809. Poe was the second of three children in his family. Three years of Poe’s birth both of his parents had died, and he was taken in by the wealthy tobacco merchant John Allan and his wife Frances Valentine Allan in Richmond, Virginia while Poe’s siblings went to live with other families (Life). He was a very talented writer at a young age. By the age of thirteen, Poe wrote enough poetry to publish a book, but his headmaster advised him against it (Life). In 1826 Poe left Richmond to attend the University of Virginia, where he excelled in his classes while accumulating considerable debt. He took to gambling to pay off his debts, but was unsuccessful at doing so. After being humiliated at collage Poe returned to Richmond and visited the home of his fiancee Elmira Royster, only to discover that she had become engaged to another man in Poe’s absence (Life). He then published his first book Tamerlane when he was only eighteen. Two years later he heard that Frances Allan, the only mother he had ever known, was dying of tuberculosis and wanted to see him before she died, but by the time Poe returned to Richmond she had already been buried (Life). He then joined the army and went to the United States Military Academy at West Point, but before leaving he published another volume of poetry. Poe continued to write and publish many books and poetry. He found a new woman to love, but in 1842 she contracted tuberculosis and died, leaving Poe heart broken again (Life). He faced many hardships throughout his life up until October 7, 1849 when he died at the age of forty. The exact cause of Poe’s death remains a mystery still today (Life). Poe wrote through the troubles in...

I know you've thought about killing someone, but you're too worried about the consequences. In the short story "Cask of Amontillado" The protagonist, Montresor feels hatred toward this man Fortunato and is determined to get revenge with impunity. In "Lamb to the slaughter" a wife unsure of her feelings murders her husband. The stories are similar because the authors both create a effect of suspense while they use different types of irony and conflicts.