Comparing Raisin In The Sun, And The Cask Of Amontilla

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Malvolio, Walter Lee Younger, and Fortunato In the play Twelfth Night, the play A Raisin in the Sun, and the short story “The Cask of Amontillado,” Malvolio, Walter Lee Younger, and Fortunato fall victim to vicious pranks and schemes stemming from their egotistical and gullible personalities. Of the three, however, Malvolio is the most deserving of the revenge plotted against him. While Walter's behavior is worst leading up to being tricked, it is unrelated to what happens. Once the three become aware that they’ve been taken advantage of, Malvolio responds with vows of retaliation while Walter and Fortunato react with a wide range of emotions, from horror to despair. Malvolio’s arrogance and condescension lead Maria, with other characters, …show more content…

Addressing him as “fellow,” instead of by Malvolio or anything appropriate for a servant, symbolized equal social standing. Walter Lee Younger’s dreams of owning a liquor store immediately start awry with insults to his family members who don’t share the same goals as him. When his wife, Ruth, refuses to help him sway Mama’s opinion of opening a liquor store, Walter immediately berates her, saying, “You wouldn’t do anything to help, would you? You couldn’t be on my side that long for nothing, could you?” (793). He then starts to blame other black women: “That is just what is wrong with the colored woman in this world. Don’t understand about building their men up and making ‘em feel like somebody. Like they can do something” (795). Beneatha, Walter’s sister, is determined to break the cycle of poverty in their family through getting educated in the medical field, whereas Walter attempts to do so by starting up a liquor store. He goads her, saying “Who the hell told you you had to be a doctor? If you are so crazy ‘bout messing ‘round with sick people – then go be a nurse like other women – or just get married and be quiet.” …show more content…

In the beginning of the short story, Montresor recognizes that Fortunato is busy, and thus tells him that he will, instead, ask Luchresi to try his wine. However, since wine connoisseurship is strongly related to social status, Fortunato arrogantly scoffs that “Luchresi cannot tell Amontillado from Sherry” and volunteers to go with Montresor to the catacombs (83). After their descent, Fortunato begins to cough heavily as a result of the nitre air around them and takes note of the many bones scattered around but continues to follow Montresor blindly, saying “Let us go, nevertheless” (83). When Fortunato drunkenly makes a symbolic gesture of the Freemasons, Montresor cannot recognize it, and Fortunato scoffs, “Then you are not of the brotherhood” (84). When Montresor jests that he is a mason, but of the stone workers, Fortunato does not pick up on the pun and instead ridicules him, “You? Impossible! The. A mason.

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