A Critical Analysis of the Revelation of the Inner Workings of a Wounded in The Cask of Amontillado - Essay Example

Like many of Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories, “The Cask of Amontillado” is told from the first person point of view. Indeed the story is narrated from Montressor’s view point or perspective and this first person perspective allows the readers to delve into the inner being of the Poe’s narrator and in general, in the core of human existence. While telling the story, Montressor endeavors to justify his murder. Yet this first person perspective itself raises doubt in the readers’ mind about the integrity of Montressor’s argument.

For an instance Montressor claims that Fortunato is offensively boastful of his knowledge in wine and he continually belittles him in this regard. Here the question arises whether Fortunato is really offensive the way how Montressor perceives it or his narration of Fortunato’s pride is essentially the reflection of his sinister inferiority complex. However, certainly the story can be interpreted from the view that one’s ego, if wounded, can push one to commit murder in order to satisfy one’s vengeance in cold blood.

The most celebrated theme of Allan Poe’s story, “The Cask of Amontillado” is the “folly of pride”. Obviously a surface level interpretation of the story tends to yield such conclusion. But an in-depth analysis of Montressor’s psychology revealed through the first person point of view tells otherwise; rather about his ego wounded by Fortunato’s pride and also about his inferiority complex. In the story, Monstresor invites his friend, Fortunato, to sample some Amontillado and confirm it is genuine.

Montresor informs the readers that he takes advantage of Fortunato’s pride of his knowledge about wine and uses it to bring about his death. As it is carnival season and Fortunato is dressed for the occasion, Montresor insinuates that Fortunato may be too busy to verify the Amontillado and implies that Luchesi should taste the wine. Indeed what Montressor claims to be Fortunato’s offensive pride can be viewed as Fortunato’s self-acclaimed passion and love for wine. These love, passion or even pride is not, in reality, as offensive as Montressor takes it.

The common interpretation that Fortunato’s pride fails him to find out the plot of the murder is not true. Rather Fortunato’s faith in friendship fails him to notice Montressor’s evil intension. Indeed even if Fortunato’s pride appears to be injuriously offensive to Montressor, the narration does not provide sufficient evidence to prove that Fortunato intentionally inflicts these offenses on him. Again though Fortunato intends to hurt Montressor, there is no textual evidence which shows that Fortunato believes his pride to be such offensive as Montressor.

If he found that his pride really offends his friend so seriously, he would be more cautious while going down in the vault. Therefore, in spite of his attempt to justify the murder, Montressor’s way of telling the story itself reveals the sinister side of his being and it also reveals that the offense essentially evolves from his own inferiority complex. The reflection of Montrsor’s wounded ego and inferiority complex is vividly evident in his speech, “Nemo me impune lacessit" or "No one assails me with impunity" (Poe 14).

The term ‘no one’ can be interpreted as the generalization of Montressor’s community or society in which he lives. A mind, like Montressor’s, that feels itself dwindled amid the crowd, can spit out such speech and always looks for an issue of offense to vent the resentment over its inferiority. The narration of the story from Montresor's point of view, deepens the readers’ moral shock and horror. Meanwhile the narrator invites a reader to delve into the inner workings of sinister