Poe's Cask of Amontillado

A detailed Summary of Poe's Cask of Amontillado

In "The Cask of Amontillado" Edgar Allen Poe explores the depths and perversity of the human mind. The protagonist and narrator Montresor endured being the brunt of many jokes and one insult made by his friend Fortunato. Montresor reached the point where he could not take this treatment anymore and reconciled to the idea of punishing Fortunato with impunity. In order to bait Fortunato into his well-devised trap, Montresor remained on the surface an amiable comrade so that Fortunato would not expect the horrific tragedy that waited for him. Ultimately Montresor achieves his goal of punishing the unsuspecting Fortunato by flattering him on his connoisseurship in wine and luring him into the catacombs of the Montresor family. I believe Montresor probably thought he would forget about his sin over time, but he did not. Fifty years later Montresor cheerfully confesses to the reader that he buried Fortunato alive and escaped punishment.

Montresor calculated the murder of Fortunato very well. One can see that he gave serious thought and time to the orchestration of the murder because it was performed flawlessly. Montresor was not apprehended or suspected by the police for he went for fifty years without any penalty. On the su

Montresor does achieve his goal of making Fortunato suffer and ponder what he has done to deserve this death sentence. However, Montresor does not have peace of mind because he remains fixated on what he has done and is never sure if Fortunato realizes the error of his ways. The fact that fifty years later Montresor is able to vividly recount the details of his sin shows that he is still a tortured soul. Poe is clearly fascinated with the perversity and the capabilities of the human mind. His chilling stories are intended to warn people of what the mind is capable of. Even the most unassuming man has perverse thoughts and usually controls them out of human decency and/or fear of consequences. However, there are some like the protagonists in Poe's literature that lose control and act out in inconceivable ways. Readers are then left to imagine and fear how perverse a person is and can become.

Montresor was determined to get away with this crime and was aware of the risks involved. In the midst of a holiday celebration, Fortunato unwittingly follows Montresor into the catacombs to meet his impending doom. Since Fortunato was extremely intoxicated, he did not think it was odd that Montresor was carrying a trowel beneath his cloak or that he was being led into a tomb. Fortunato thought Montresor was making yet another joke about being part of the Masonic faith. He was also foolishly led into a small crevice where he believed the Amontillado was awaiting his approval. Once the intoxication wore off, Fortunato began screaming in terror. He tried to convince himself that Montresor was merely joking and was going to release him because nothing was making sense. Fortunato did not realize that his thousands of jokes and one insult angered Montresor. Fortunato does not understand what he has done to de

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Approximate Word count = 1226
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English