Reaction to the story, The Cask of Amontillado
This paper is a critical reaction to the narrative The Cask of Amontillado, the impression painted by the writer, his attitude towards the subject and how the story relates to the current society. The story has a very close relationship with life in the contemporary society. The main theme is murder. It represents just how much the human heart can be wicked to the extent of taking a cruel revenge on people they call friends. What is even more saddening is that revenge is taken over unspecified insults. The motive behind the murder is merely vaguely stated as “a thousand injuries”. Montresor takes this cruel revenge on his friend Fortunado, a fellow nobleman. Since such acts are common in the current society, the story is, therefore, closely linked to the happenings in the current society.
The writer tries to bring to light how the society can sometimes be full of injustices. People can commit crimes like Montresor did and go unpunished. This is a reality in most places, in the world. There are criminals almost everywhere. Terrorists kill innocent people. People are so full of hatred against others over allegations that they cannot even explain. What people fail to understand and appreciate is that there is no justification for this (Poe 4). The story fails to explain what insult the victim committed that he had to die painfully. The thousand injuries are not explained. It is hard to ratify the justifiability of this murder. It is painful to imagine that the murderer lives to tell his story. One wonders where justice suddenly disappeared to; that one can separate another from his precious life and go scot-free.
In the society, people tend to give a lot of trust to friends. This, according to the noparrative is sometimes dangerous. We cannot tell the motives which our friends have against us. It does not mean that trust has become a vice, but the story tells us how one can use this trust against another and trick him to the tomb. There is an element of treachery in this story, and sure enough this is a reality in the society. Life is full of treachery. No wonder politicians and other people across the globe are treacherous. They use tricks to trap others and once in their trap, fail to fulfill their promises or use it against them. The writer wants us to be aware of these and be careful so that we do not become victims.
The writer tries to combine humor with reality in the story. His attitude is a bit humorous to the subject. The narrative revolves around a person being buried alive by immurement. This invokes humor. The victim, Fortunado cries for help, but nobody is around to offer the much needed help (Poe 5-6). This is how the society can sometimes turn out to be. Those who need help never get it at the hour of need. Besides, the crime is committed by someone who is thought to be a friend. This is ironical.
It is also possible that the murderer in this narrative, Montresor could have been insane. He fails to explain his motives behind the murder. He commits the cruel act without offering any convincing reason to justify the act. This beats logic. Only a mad man can d this. Moreover, he later on explains how he managed to commit this evil act. As such, people should be careful how they relate with others in the society. One cannot tell what exactly motive others have against him. Offers made by others, whether friends or not should be evaluated and carefully questioned to avoid being victims to these cruel circumstances.
In conclusion, The Cask of Amontillado is a narrative that has very close relationship with the current society. The writer tries to bring out the impression of murder and injustice in a more or less humorous manner that captures the attention of the reader. The murderer gets away with his crime lending credence to the injustice shown not only in the story but generally in life. The sanity of Montresor, the murderer, is however in question. That notwithstanding, no investigation on the murder has been conducted and the murderer walks free and lives to tell his story.
Works Cited
Poe, Edgar Allan. The Cask of Amontillado. New York: Elegant Books, 1846.
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