The Cask of Amontillado - Book Report/Review Example

The Cask of Amontillado “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe focuses on Montresor as he performs his revenge against Fortunato for an insult, which is unnamed. My thesis point is that Poe uses the nature of Montresor of being vengeful and retaliatory to symbolize the real world upper class, which will stop at nothing to fight to keep their status and power from slipping to the hands of the fast rising middle class, which might result to their foreseen downfall. While the reader may simply dismiss Montresor from the story as an insane man, the first paragraph of the story describes the conflicts, which arises from the social roles of the characters rather than implication of the protagonist’s insanity (Baraban 51). The depicted conflict between the social roles may have been drawn from the personal experience of Poe with social classes. The story in “The Cask of Amontillado” appears to have been developed, in part, to depict the harsh retaliation, which the nobility and the upper classes resort, to prevent the ‘inferior’ from achieving restricted positions for people of certain bloodlines. When he was at the University of Virginia (February 14 to December 15 1826), Poe had contact with the wealthy. He had good grades, and in the final examination, he obtained a distinction in French and Latin, and then the highest honors. Jefferson, who created the university, had a theory that students should not be restricted and they should conduct themselves as gentlemen. This made the young bloods to throw themselves with vigor into this freedom, and most of them were wealthy and from a higher lineage. They lived reckless and extravagant lives of mingled bravado and gallantry, which they considered as ‘gentleman life’ during that period (Pruette 374). Poe suffered from stigma because of the social class differences, which were decided at birth, even though he maintained a good progress in academics. His position in the society, which was determined by his birth, made him to be regarded by his classmates as inferior even though Jefferson did not want restrictions. Regardless of the fact that Poe could have started a new life of wealth, and forget about the past filled with poverty, he decided to make no effort of integrating himself with young aristocrats (Pruette 374). Therefore, the idea of “Cask of Amontillado” and its protagonist may have been sparked by the intolerable treatment and attitude of the people around him, which he was able to sustain. The pride of nobility, which was demonstrated by those he encountered in school, has a lot in common with Montresor, the creation of Poe. Ultimately, Montresor being a complex Machiavellian criminal, he exhibits a full range of characters from stark sadism to clever ingratiation (Bloom 103). The protagonist is used as a symbol of the upper class, which is declining, thereby leaving Fortunato representing the middle class, which is aspiring a greater height. There are various resembling features between Poe and Fortunato. Fortunato was borne from a humble background with no wealth, just like Poe, but they were in a position to earn the respect of those people around him, and he eventually earned some capital. Besides the indication of this throughout the story, the name Fortunato suggests that he is part of a rising class and he was not born in it. Although Poe had risen in the society, especially after he was taken into Allan’s household, he was constantly reminded by those around him of his original place in the society. He uses this to characterize Montresor as the protagonists experiencing the same character of believed superiority. In the entire story, Fortunato is looked down upon by Montresor, for instance, he is constantly termed as a fool in the story. No man without noble blood flowing in his veins was allowed by the nobility surrounding Poe to join their ranks due to their superiority feeling. Prior to the beginning of the story, the ‘thousand injuries’ (Poe 402) that Montresor sustained indicate the breaching of the social norms. However, Montresor was not prompted into violence by these injuries, rather, Fortunato ‘ventured upon insults’ which push him to vow to take revenge (Poe 402). Montresor never states the insults throughout the text, but this can be seen as Fortunato’s feeling of being at the same level with Montresor. Montresor therefore has a difficult time coming to terms with the dying nobility, rather the rise of the inferior social class wounds him, and since he is the last in his family, the only last option he is left with is revenge. Montresor remarks that Fortunato is happy as he was once and that he is a man to be missed. This shows that he is no longer as socially conspicuous and rich as he used to be (Baraban 51). He also shows that Fortunato has now taken the social standing that he used to have. The noble class, as the sole power owners, was in a position to easily control others. However, they are likely to act in an irascible manner and retaliate eventually, once that power begins to get lost. Poe also uses the word ‘noble’ in his reference to Fortunato (Poe 407). Poe says that the narrator called him “noble Fortunato” as a final ironic statement in “The Cask of Amontillado”. However, unlike Frye’s opinion, this should not be viewed as a slip of speech for Montresor, since the story was perfectly planned with everything in it, and Montresor’s words are stated with eloquence and thoughtfulness. Frye (463) states that everything, which Poe has used in the story, from the character, names, the setting, to the words used by Montresor, contribute to the irony effect. “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe is a story of revenge, but it rather carries a lot more than just a man seeking justice against another man. It carries the representation of the personal life of Poe and his experiences with the upper class. It also depicts the nobility versus the important lower classes, which are increasing. There is always backlash whenever a major power or the noble class begins losing their influence. This is what Montresor is chosen to represent. He also shows how dedicated the noble class would fight to prevent the rising class from attaining high status in the world, and in the end, he symbolizes the dying nobility. Therefore, the readers are more likely to dismiss Montresor from the idea that he is an insane man, at the beginning of the story, the author describes the conflicts, which was brought by the social roles of the characters rather than the effect of the protagonist’s insanity. Jefferson, who created the university, had a theory that students should not be restricted and they should conduct themselves as men. This made the young bloods to throw themselves with vigor into this freedom, and most of them were wealthy and from a higher lineage. Regardless of the fact that Poe could have started a new life of wealth, and forget about the past filled with poverty, he decided to make no effort of integrating himself with young aristocrats. Consequently, Montresor being a hard-core Machiavellian criminal, he experiences variety of characters ranging from the stark sadism to clever ingratiation. Poe a rising status in the society, especially after he was accommodated into Allan’s household, he was always reminded by those around him of his previous status in the society. Works Cited "A Psycho-Analytical Study of Edgar Allan Poe : Pruette, Lorine : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive." Internet Archive. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Oct. 2014. . Baraban, E. The Motive for Murder In ‘The Cask of Amontillado’ By Edgar Allan Poe.: Rocky Mountain review of language and literature. Salt Lake City: Rocky Mountain Modern Language Association. 2004. Print. Bloom, Harold. Edgar Allan Poe. Updated Ed. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 2006. Print. Frye, Steven. Critical insights Tales of Edgar Allan Poe. Pasadena, Calif.: Salem Press, 2010. Print. Poe, Edgar Allan. The cask of Amontillado. Charlottesville, Va.: University of Virginia Library Electronic Text Center, 2011. Print. Read More