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Analysis of the black cat by edgar allan poe
Characters from the poem "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe
Analysis of the black cat by edgar allan poe
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“The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge” (Poe 165). This story by Edgar Allan Poe is a very dark story like most of his work. It is never stated what the insults that Fortunato made are, so it is left to the reader to ponder what it could be. I would bet Montresor has never heard the saying sticks and stones might break my bones, but words will never hurt me. Montresor manages to plan this murder to the point that he is telling us this story fifty years after it has happened. He makes this clear very early in the story that “I must not just punish but punish with impunity. A wrong is unredressed with retribution overtakes its redresor. It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong” (Poe 165). Montresor has to make sure he gets his point across to Fortunato. Montresor has to make sure the way he kills Fortunato is planned well enough to not get caught and punished. Trying to understand what is going on inside the head of this mad man is what this story is all about. The key aspects of the story include understanding why Montresor had decided to kill Fortunato, deciding how to lure him into the catacombs, and understanding why he chose this place as well as how killed Fortunato. …show more content…
The thing that gives a hint of what could have been and insult is when Fortunato ask, “I forget your arms” (Poe 167). This is an insult to his family coat of arms saying it is not important enough for him to remember. The arm is “A huge foot d’or, in a field azure; the foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs are imbedded in the heel”(Poe 167). Fortunato also adds to this “And the motto?” (Poe 167) The motto helps us understand why he kills Fortunato. The motto is “Nemo me impune lacessit” (Poe 167). this translates to no one provokes me with impunity. As Patrick White
Between the “Most Dangerous Game” and the “Cask of Amontillado” Montresor is more evil. Something must have happened to Montresor in his childhood life to make him the man he is. If you ever heard that quote “keep your friends close and your enemies closer”, that is exactly what Montresor is doing. He will manipulate Fortunato by using all his weaknesses to bring him down. With this in mind Montresor will do anything to get revenge, even if that means someone will have to die.
It is constantly seen that people take revenge on each other in the real world so it comes to no surprise that Montresor is taking revenge on Fortunato. Specifically in this story Montresor will feel better if he “not only punish but punish with impunity” (108 Poe). But further on what I found to even more realistic was that this wasn’t normal revenge, this was pure mastermind torture. Montresor knew that Fortunato was sick with Montresor saying “…but the severe cold with which I perceive you are afflicted”(109 Poe) regarding that he didn’t want Fortunato to come down to his vaults, but Montresor true intentions were wanting Fortunato to fight Montresor request of not coming, and it worked. Montresor also knew how well Fortunato was at differencing wine “I was silly enough to pay the full Amontillado price without consulting you in the matter” (109 Poe). By Montresor exploiting Fortunato’s sickness and skill of wines, Montresor knew that he could get Fortunato in the vaults where he could execute his revenge. At a first glance this may not seem lifelike because there’s an assumption to be made that people aren’t this immoral. But the truth is that the revenge that Montresor conducted is seen constantly in our culture. It’s undeniably real of the monstrosity that was made by Montresor when comparing it to the wicked
Montresor is a man who feels pride in himself and in his family, so when Fortunato—an acquaintance of Montresor— “venture[s] upon insult,” Montresor “vow[s] revenge” against him (1). Montresor hastily decides that he must kill Fortunato, even though his use of the word “venture” implies that Fortunato had not yet insulted him, but nearly did. Montresor’s impulsive need for revenge causes him to formulate a plan to murder his acquaintance. He keeps Fortunato intoxicated by “presenting him…[with] wine,” he “fetter[s] him to the granite,” and he “plaster[s] up… [a wall of] new masonry” to trap Fortunato in the catacombs (39, 71, 89). All of these acts are signs that the need for revenge has made Fortunato insane. A person who has any sense of morals would not commit crimes such as Montresor’s. His impetuous decision to exact revenge caused him to lose his
When they arrive at the Montresor estate, Montresor leads Fortunato down the stairs into the catacombs. Down here is where the Amontillado Fortunato is going to taste and where the revenge of Montresor is going to take place. As he get closer and closer, the narrator opens up more and more to how he is going to kill his "friend". It sound like it is a premeditated murder. Montresor seems so inconspicuous that he acts like he cares about Fortunato which is still a part of his plan.
By vowing revenge, methodically planning and following through with such a meticulous plan, and the feelings of guilt and remorse fifty years after the fact, Montressor shows that he planned the murder step by step, and proves that he is sane. Montressor premeditates the murder from vowing revenge to having the tools in the catacombs ready and waiting. Montressor vows revenge, but not just revenge, he vows that at length he will be avenged. Montressor states, "That neither by word nor deed had I given Fortunato cause to doubt my good-will (Poe 563). " Montressor shows with this statement that he has the capability of knowing what he has premeditated is wrong.
These imperfections cause him to murder his former friend Fortunato, because “when he ventured upon insult, [Montresor] vowed revenge” (212). Montresor goes to severe measures in order to maintain his pride, demonstrating that he is arrogant, cruel, and a generally imperfect person. However, while Montresor appears cold and cruel on the outside, after he killed Fortunato “[his] heart grew sick” (216). Although Montresor perceives his emotional response as a physical reaction to the dampness of the catacombs, the reader sees it for what it truly is: a sign of remorse.The reader can discern that Montresor’s pride and cruelty are battling against his conscience, and that his flaws catalyze his actions. Observing Montresor’s faults instead of speculating he is comprehensively inhumane conceives him to be a profound and deep
Accordingly, Poe is well responsive to this psychological trait of the human brain. Likewise, Poe employs the perception of perversity and remorse in “The Cask of Amontillado.” The reason of burying Fortunato is not only vengeance, but also a robust reaction that is described in “The Black Cat”. There is a passionate yearning in Montresor to hurt Fortunato even if he has not made any harm to him. Although Montresor asserts that he has been injured several times by Fortunato, he cannot defy calling him “respected, admired, beloved,” admitting his “good nature,” and also calling him “noble” (Little 212). These expressions confirmed that Fortunato is a good quality person and the expression “injuries” used in the first phase of the story is simply a hyperbole that Montresor’s psyche has fabricated. Furthermore, wickedness does not come unaccompanied, but it carries itself a sense of remorse. Even if Montresor reflects himself as the diplomat of his family for deafening down rivals, he suffers remorse while walling up Fortunato. Consequently, Poe’s clasp of unreasonableness and culpability of the human mind is
He has over twenty sources; ranging from books on all types of literary work, websites and scholarly articles. One of the sources DiSanza uses is an article written by James E. Rocks called “Conflict and Motive in “The Cask of Amontillado””. DiSanza explains how Rocks convincingly tells us he believes “Montresor regards Fortunato as both a political and a religious enemy and is thus motivated by “a faithful Catholic’s hatred and fear of the brotherhood of freemasonry””. (195) Rocks looks at Poe’s work in a very religious aspect, he points out how in the beginning of the story Montresor refers to Fortunato 's death as an “immolation”. Suggesting the murder to be some sort of religious sacrifice. (Rock 50) Rock also points out that he believes the final words spoken between Montresor and Fortunato reveals Montresor’s motive: “For the love of God, Montresor!” “Yes,” I said, “for the love of God!”. (50) A few sentences later, Rock claims that Montresor’s execution of vengeance against fortunato is because “he believes he must protect God’s word and his church against his enemies and who demonstrates his “love” of God in this deed of sacrifice”. DiSanza also quotes from another article called “Poetic Justice in “The Cask of Amontillado””, which was written by Kent Bales. DiSanza points out that Bales pushes a similar idea which Rock pushes; they look
Vengeance and pride are fundamentally important to this short story. From the inception of the tale it is clear that the narrator is a proud, vindictive man; opening with, “the thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge,” the narrator immediately alerts the reader to the dark aspects of his own character. Because “insult” and not “the thousand injuries” caused the narrator to “vow” revenge, the reader can infer Montresor is prideful because, although he already had conflict with Fortunato, insult was what made the tense situation unbearable for Montresor––so much so that he vowed to take action. Use of the word “vow” is significant because it indicates that the grievance was meaningful in the mind of Montresor, allowing for the reader to more easily identify with the actions to be revealed throughout the course of the story; if the reader believes that Montresor was provoked in a profound way, ...
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
In the opening lines Montresor explains what Fortunato has done to him: ?he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge?(75. The next line Montresor explains that he did not threaten him back and he did not reply to the threats. It was not in Montresor?s nature to do return the threat, ?You, who so well know the nature of my soul, will not suppose, however, that I gave utterance to a threat?(75).
How simple, indeed--at least until we examine a group of irreconcilable paradoxes in the story. To begin with, the names Montresor and Fortunato are synonymous. (Hoffman 223) Secondly, we find that the motive for the crime was some unnamed insult. Motives for killing someone should be important enough to detail. Why does Poe have Montresor gloss over the motives? One view is that Montresor relates the details of the murder not to justify his actions, but as a form of confession. But if this be confession, where is the regret? Again, Poe leaves his readers mystified concerning the time and location for issuance of the narrative voice. If Montresor still lives, he must be a very old man. If so, the phantasms of his deed may have horrified him all of his life. Then why does he not seem horrified? If this be confession, then why does he seem not penitent?
This immediate familiarity helps the reader to see inside the calculating mind of Montresor, whom we later learn is a killer. When talking about the past insults of Fortunato, he takes on a cold, determined tone: “At length I would be avenged; this was a point definitively settled […] I must not only punish, but punish with impunity. A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong” (Poe, 618).
The major characteristics of the narrator and main character, Montresor, are anger, hatred, and revenge. In the story, he is angry with Fortunato because he believes that Fortunato has wronged and insulted him many times by saying, “thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as best I could…he ventured upon insult…” (Poe). In addition, Montresor’s hatred for Fortunato goes so far that he believes he must kill Fortunato. He mentions this in the story as, “[y]ou, who so well know the nature of my soul, will not suppose, however, that I gave utterance to a threat” (Poe). He seems to say that his soul is made of hatred and goes on to say he must give Fortunato the utmost punishment: death. Montresor even shows traits of revenge when he says, “…but when [Fortunato] ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge.” and “...I would be avenged…” (Poe). He is saying that he will get revenge on Fortunato, whom he is angry with and hates for being insulted by.
The story begins with Montresor’s monologue, explaining why he wants to take revenge on Fortunado, actually a friend of him. “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge”. Although the writer doesn’t give the detail explanation of what, on earth, Fortunato did by the “thousand injuries”, we can still feel the anger of Montresor, burning in his mind. He wants to revenge, using his own way. “It must be understood that neither by word nor deed had I given Fortunato cause to doubt my good will. I continued as was my wont, to smile in his face, and he did not perceive that my smile NOW was at the thought of his immolation.” He knew Fortunato’s characteristics well, including the weak point. That is how he did the whole revenge.