Poe's Secret Messages
Edgar Allen Poe 's "The Cask of Amontillado" is a story about a premeditated murder. The real question proposed, however, is Poe 's writing about his life in relationship to the story. Throughout the story, readers become aware that Montresor is not a reliable narrator and that he has a tendency to hold grudges and exaggerate terribly, as he refers to the "thousand injuries" that he has "suffered at the hands of Fortunato." When Fortunato insulted Montresor, he could stand no more, and vowed revenge. Behind the darkness of Poe 's writings lie hidden messages that link to his life and his views of the world around him. Montresor, the main character, is Poe in disguise and Poe 's stepfather "much resembled Fortunato in being a man rich, respected, admired, beloved, interested in wines, and a member of the Masons" (Silverman 337) John Gruesser goes on to explain,
As Montresor himself remarks, Fortunato is the golden boy, "rich, respected, admired, beloved . . . happy. . . ." Montresor has not been so blessed, or as he asserts, he once was, but has lost his status and/or his contentment. To someone who is unfortunate, like Montresor, Fortunato 's happiness is a daily injury. Thus, Montresor conceives and executes an ingenious plan, which appears to succeed, for revenging himself on fortune 's friend. Sealed in the Montresor family vaults, Fortunato is deprived of everything.
Montresor uses his family motto in an attempt to convince the reader that what he is going to do is honorable. "Nemo me impune lacessit," the motto, means that no one can harm me without getting punished in return. Poe felt a great deal of resentment toward his stepfather and gets revenge through writing the story. This would lead one to question the psychological status of Poe during the period in which he wrote his many classics. They all seem to have a dark overshadowing feeling to them. Roger Platizky explains in his critical essay, Poe 's THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO.
The threat of being
As Montresor himself remarks, Fortunato is the golden boy, "rich, respected, admired, beloved . . . happy. . . ." Montresor has not been so blessed, or as he asserts, he once was, but has lost his status and/or his contentment. To someone who is unfortunate, like Montresor, Fortunato 's happiness is a daily injury. Thus, Montresor conceives and executes an ingenious plan, which appears to succeed, for revenging himself on fortune 's friend. Sealed in the Montresor family vaults, Fortunato is deprived of everything.
Montresor uses his family motto in an attempt to convince the reader that what he is going to do is honorable. "Nemo me impune lacessit," the motto, means that no one can harm me without getting punished in return. Poe felt a great deal of resentment toward his stepfather and gets revenge through writing the story. This would lead one to question the psychological status of Poe during the period in which he wrote his many classics. They all seem to have a dark overshadowing feeling to them. Roger Platizky explains in his critical essay, Poe 's THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO.
The threat of being
Cited: Delaney, Bill. "Poe 's The Cask of Amontillado.(Edgar Allan Poe)(Critical Essay)." The Explicator 64.1 (Fall 2005): 33(3). Academic OneFile. Thomson Gale. Lord Fairfax Community College. 09 Apr. 2007 Gruesser, John. "Poe 's 'The Cask of Amontillado. ' (story by author Edgar Allan Poe)." The Explicator 56.n3 (Spring 1998): 129(2). Academic OneFile. Thomson Gale. Lord Fairfax Community College. 09 Apr. 2007 Levine, Stuart and Susan, editors. "The Short Fiction of Edgar Allan Poe: An Annotated Edition". Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1990. Meyer, Michael. "The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature" Poe, The Cask of Amontillado, 539 Platizky, Roger. "Poe 's THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO.(Brief Article)(Critical Essay)." The Explicator 57.4 (Summer 1999): 206. Academic OneFile. Thomson Gale. Lord Fairfax Community College. 09 Apr. 2007 Silverman, Kenneth. Edgar A. Poe: Mournful and Never-Ending Remembrance. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1991.