obsession and deviance

A detailed Summary of obsession and deviance

Poe presents the narrators of "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Cask of Amontillado" as devious, obsessed characters. Both are overpowered by the need to consume the life of their victim. Though they use different strategies to carry out the murders in different ways, obsession is the driving force in both. It is this obsession that inspires them to design these cunning strategies and carry out the executions.

The obsession of Montresor in "The Cask of Amontillado" and of the narrator in "The Tell-Tale Heart" is obvious throughout the stories. The narrator in "The Tell-Tale Heart" is actually obsessed with the old man's eye, rather than the old man himself. It is this obsession with the eye that drives him to commit the murder, despite his relatively good feelings toward the old man personally. This is why he is unable to harm the old man when the eye is concealed. His obsession with the eye is what controls him and his actions. Without it in sight to enrage this obsession, he is unable to harm the old man. This also is why he must shine the lantern light upon only that eye. By leaving the rest of the old man in the dark, he in a sense de-humanizes the victim. His obsession intensifies and takes full cont

rol of his actions. He eliminates the old man from the equation and is able to charge him and make the kill.

Montresor on the other hand makes a conscious effort to protect his plan from everyone, including the reader. For example, the hidden building stone and mortar is not revealed to the reader until he uncovers it when Fortunato is already chained to the wall. The reader, however, becomes aware of the pile of bones that are hiding the materials well before: "the bones had been thrown down, and lay promiscuously upon the earth, forming at one point a mound of some size" (Poe 1116). The reader sees this pile of bones at first as irrelevant, the same way that Fortunato sees it. He even reveals the bones as laying about the ground in no particular order, so as not to bring about any suspicion in the reader. It is almost as if he is trying to hide the mortar and building supplies from the reader just as he is trying to hide them from Fortunato.

In another similar instance, the reader is never made aware of the trowel that Montresor has been carrying all along. "Putting on a mask of black silk, and drawing a roquelaire closely about my person, I suffered him to hurry me to my palazzo" (Poe 1114). He describes his actions as he draws his roquelaire about him, but the reader is never aware that he is concealing this masonry tool at the same time. It is not until he also reveals the trowel to Fortunato that the reader is made aware of the tool, and even then is left in the dark as to what Montresor plans to do with it. It is not until Fortunato is chained up, and the building stones and mortar have been revealed that the pieces come together in the reader's eyes. Montresor refuses to reveal his plan to anybody, and the reader never becomes aware of exactly what he is planning to do until it actually happens.

The narrator in "The Tell-Tale Heart" has a much simpler conspiracy than Montresor and has less to plan. "You should have seen how wisely I proceeded -- with what caution -- with what foresight -- with what dissimulation I went to work" (Poe 1118 ). Clearly, the narrator here is quite proud of the plan he has contrived, and the way in which he executed it. He does setup the old man by making him feel secure. He is also very careful with how he approaches the man, never making a sound. However, beyond that there is nothing much more to the plan. The narrator's insanity does lead him to believe that what he has contrived is ingenious. Montresor's plan, on the other hand is quite intricate and brilliant. He has taken a different approach. It is evident that Montresor has thoroughly thought out every detail of the intricate plan well in advance.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Tell-Tale Heart, Amontillado Montresor, Cask Amontillado, Montresor Fortunato's, tell-tale heart, narrator tell-tale heart, narrator tell-tale, reader aware, Deviance Poe, amontillado montresor, cask amontillado, Montresor Cask, reader trying hide, montresor cask amontillado, doesn't appear, fortunato chained, montresor hand, obsession eye, intricate plan, lure fortunato catacombs,

Approximate Word count = 1796
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English