In today’s society, one can see that people constantly express their social status amongst others in order to feel more powerful with one another. Each individual will assume that others will respect their social status because of how well known they are or how popular their occupation is. Others feel that no matter how large of a discrepancy their social status is with various people, they would still want to develop the same respect that some people acquire. But, if someone were to disrespect one’s social status, is it worth committing a crime? One of Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories, “The Cask of Amontillado”, conveys a story of a social class conflict between two men, which one of them later on claims to have committed murder. Thus, the author explores the idea of social status and how it can relate to people who have an evil side.
In the story titled, “The Cask of Amontillado”, by Edgar Allan Poe, it explores the story of a murder confession by Montresor. In the beginning of the story, Montresor is at a festival wearing a mask and sees Fortunato and starts thinking to himself of how much hatred he has towards Fortunato. Montresor then calls Fortunato and tells him to use his tasting skills to be sure that he got the correct wine, a very old and rare kind called the Amontillado. Since Fortunato loves drinking wine, he starts to consume a lot of it and becomes drunk. This makes Fortunato vulnerable to Montresor’s plan, which is to lure Fortunato away from the crowd and take him to the catacombs. As they are walking to the catacombs, Fortunato asks Montresor what his arms are. This made Montresor very angry, however he replied back in a calm tone and told Fortunato that it has a huge foot crushing a snake whose fangs are imbedd...
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...haviors. Not only did Montresor continue to receive the ignorant comments from Fortunato, but he also kept his behavior on the down low until they reached the catacombs. From there, this is where he let out his anger, mostly in an emotional state rather than a physical state like most people in today’s society would have done. Therefore, the way some people demonstrate their social status amongst others may result to psychological behaviors.
Works Cited
Poe, Edgar Allan. "The Cask of Amontillado" Compact Literature. Laurie G. Kirszner, Stephen R. Mandell. 8th edition. Boston, MA: Wadsworth, 2013. 325-330. Print.
Sova, Dawn B. ""The Cask of Amontillado"." Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 26 Feb. 2014
Waytz, Adam. "The Psychology of Social Status." Scientific American N.P., 08 December 2009. Web. 26 Feb. 2014.
Montresor’s actions can then be explained due to Antisocial Personality Disorder. “A person who has this disorder overlooks the rights of others, is incapable of loyalty to others or to social values, is unable to experience guilt or to learn from past behaviors, is imperious to punishment, and tends to rationalize his or her behavior or to blame it on others" (MacKenzie). Antisocial personality disorder affects a person and their ability to function properly in society. Montresor had Antisocial Personality Disorder since he acted irrationally and blamed his action on Fortunato. Montresor kept justifying his actions and convincing himself he was doing what was right. By Montresor refuses to recognize his actions he further showed that he had Antisocial Personality Disorder. Montresor also was unable to ever feel remorse to Montresor and did not have any guilt. For these reasons presented, it can be justified that Montresor suffered from Antisocial Personality Disorder. This diagnosis would help justify to the reader his strange behavior and his desire to seek revenge on Fortunato. By analyzing the characteristics of Antisocial Personality Disorder, it explains Montresor’s desire for revenge, manipulation and lack of empathy for
Montresor proves that one should be careful about insulting another because he/she could seek revenge in the story. Montresor proves through his actions towards Fortunato. He states, “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could; but when he
Benton, Richard P. "The Cask of Amontillado: Overview." Reference Guide to Short Fiction. Ed. Noelle Watson. Detroit: St. James Press, 1994. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 3 Dec. 2010.
“The Cask of Amontillado” is a dark piece, much like other works of Edgar Allan Poe, and features the classic unreliable narrator, identified by himself only as Montresor. This sinister central character is a cold ruthless killer that is particularly fearsome because he views murder as a necessity and kills without remorse. Montresor is a character who personifies wickedness. Poe uses this character and his morally wrong thoughts and actions to help the reader identify with aspects of the extreme personage, allowing them to examine the less savory aspects of their own. The character of Montresor detailing the glorious murder he committed is a means of communicating to the reader that vengeance and pride are moral motivators that lead to treacherous deeds and dark thoughts.
Poe’s first-person narration style in “The Cask of Amontillado” allows the reader to experience a different type of story, from an unusual perspective. By making a killer the narrator, and by making him familiar with the audience, we can see the situation in different darker light. Rather than focusing on the actual physicality and action that takes place in the story, Poe focuses on the thoughts and emotions of the main character, thus making for a more intimately disturbing story for the
A main theme presented in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe is that Montresor shows obsession with the murder of fortunato. This is exemplified by Montresor’s precise planning, carefulness and slowness of speed in the process.
Poe, Edgar Allen. "The Cask of Amontillado." In An Introduction to Literature, by Sylvan Barnet, William Burto and William E. Cain, 180-185. New York: Pearson Longman, 2006.
Poe, Edgar Allan. "A Cask of Amontillado." Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. Ed. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Orlando: Harcourt, 1997. 209-14.
The manner in which Poe addresses the topic of class differences and the struggle for power with his fictional characters resounds of his own struggles in his personal life. However, unlike in Hop Frog and the Masque of the Red Death, he was never himself able to emerge wholly victorious over his adversaries, including the publishing industry. In addition, Poe’s characters appear to hint that while wealth may be the source of power for many, the correct use of information itself is the surest path to the acquisition of power.
Edgar Allen Poe’s tale of murder and revenge, “The Cask of Amontillado”, offers a unique perspective into the mind of a deranged murderer. The effectiveness of the story is largely due to its first person point of view, which allows the reader a deeper involvement into the thoughts and motivations of the protagonist, Montresor. The first person narration results in an unbalanced viewpoint on the central conflict of the story, man versus man, because the reader knows very little about the thoughts of the antagonist, Fortunato. The setting of “The Cask of Amontillado”, in the dark catacombs of Montresor’s wine cellar, contributes to the story’s theme that some people will go to great lengths to fanatically defend their honor.
Poe, Edgar Allan. "The Cask of Amontillado." Reading and Writing about Literature. Phillip Sipiora. New Jersey: Pearson Education, 2008.
In Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado,” Montresor sets out on a vengeful mission that will end Fortunato’s life in an untimely fate. Montresor appeals to Fortunato’s love for wine to tempt the unsuspecting fellow to his impending doom. While Montresor tricks the foolish Fortunato frightfully, it is ultimately Fortunato’s pride that leads to his demise in the crypt. Poe uses several literary devices to foreshadow this murderous exploit of Montresor. Through the use of irony, symbolism, and imagery, the story entices readers to delve into the relationships and differences between Montresor and Fortunato.
Poe, Edgar Allan. “The Cask of Amontillado.” The Norton Anthology: American Literature. Ed. Wayne Franklin, Philip F. Gurpa, Arnold Krupat. New York: Norton, 2007. 1612-1613, 1616. Print.
Edgar Allan Poe is a famous writer in writing detective stories and horror stories. One of his horror stories, “The Cask of Amontillado” was talking about how a man took his revenge to his friend. However, to look deeply in this story, I found that this story was not just simply a horror tale about how a man gets his revenge in the safest way. Instead, it also demonstrates much irony in several areas: the title, the event, the season, the costume, the environment, the characters’ personalities, a man’s dignity and cockiness and at the end, the public order. he are
Poe, Edgar Allan. “That Cask of Amontillado.” Ibiblio. U of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, N.d.