Revenge: A Consuming Force

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Recommended: THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO by Edgar Allan Poe character

“[One] becomes insane with long intervals of horrible sanity” (Edgar Allan Poe). Furthermore, due to the experiences many come across in everyday life, the mind permanently imprints the triumphs and, most importantly the mishaps encountered. Additionally, when wronged by others, many immediately plot revenge. As seen in Edgar Allan Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado, Montresor is infuriated by an insult said by his acquaintance Fortunato. Due to this, he is led on a path of revenge. Also, the same themes are seen in Vendetta by Guy De Maupassant, when a widow’s only son is murdered and, she must go on a brutal quest in order to avenge him. In addition, both characters endure the dark paths one must take to fulfill revenge. On whole, the quest for revenge consumes the subconscious, thus, leading to the unravelling of the psyche.
To begin, the journey of revenge is an uncontrollable and consuming one. The urge for vengeance creates a doorway for obsession to arise. Furthermore, throughout his journey Montresor is unable to reconcile the with the concept forgiveness, “[Montresor] would be avenged…this point was definitely settled” (Poe, Cask 108). Also, Montresor shows no leniency and, presses on with his vengeance. Similarly, the old widow in Vendetta is consumed with hatred when her son is murdered. She meticulously plans and “for three months she accustomed her [dog] to the method of her attack” to perform on the killer (Maupassant 169). Additionally, Montresor and the old widow spend an endless amount of time and energy on their vengeance. Moreover, unable to repress the thoughts of revenge, they both fall victim to obsession. Both characters overlook forgiveness and ventured on towards vengeance. As a result, they both surrender thei...

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... throughout the story, they are on a constant endeavor for revenge. Secondly, ones atmosphere greatly contributes to the outcome of the individual. The environments moulded the minds of the two characters allowing the irrationality to project. Finally, the conflict initiated the first urge and obsession for revenge. The characters endured internal and external battles, thus, surrendering the subconscious. In short, revenge is a powerful force ,and has the power to permanently damage one psychologically.

Works Cited

Poe, Edgar Allan . Imprints 11. “The Cask of Amontillado”. Toronto: Educational Publishing
Company, 2001. Print.
Maupassant, Guy de. "Vendetta." Online-liturature.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Sept. 2013.
Online-liturature.com

Poe, Edgar Allan . "Edgar Allan Poe." Famous Quotes at BrainyQuote. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Sept.
2013 .http://www.brainyquote.com/

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