The Cask of Amontillado

The Cask of Amontillado” Unexpected Endings In “The Cask Of Amontillado” there are several themes shown throughout the short story. There are only two main characters in the story, and each shows their way of betrayal. The entire story is based on betrayal, and lies. Fortunado is betrayed by Monresor, who in the end, kills this intoxicated man. Montresor was supposedly betrayed by Fortunado, a story of which we are never told. Finally, we as the reader are betrayed by the narrator, because we are given so few details and logic to back up the story. Fortunado, Montresor, and the reader are betrayed throughout the short story, “The Cask Of Amontillado”. Throughout the story, Montresor betrays Fortunado. He asks Fortunado to come into his catacombs aware that he would be killing him. He taunts Fortunado by asking him if he want to go back, because he is sick. Montresor does so when saying “‘Come,’ I said, with decision, ‘we will go back; your health is precious…’” (Poe 535) However, when Fortunado insists he comes to taste the amontillado, he is once again betrayed by Montresor when he drinks more of his wine. He becomes overly intoxicated and once again, is able to be taken advantage of. The entire walk through the catacombs Montresor betrays Fortunado by lying to him and taunting him about being sick. At the end of the story Montresor traps Fortunado by building him into a small shackled space. “A succession of loud and shrill screams, bursting suddenly from the throat of the chained form, seemed to thrust me back violently” (Poe 536). According to Chad Dyer “The story is written in the form of confession, its reader learning of Montresour’s vengeful deed fifty years after its execution." (Dyer). When Montresor kills Fortunando he commits not only a huge crime but a betrayal that is unbelievable to most people. Furtunado is a simpler, less obvious betrayer. He is mentioned in the very beginning cause a “thousand injuries” (Poe 533) causing Montresor to “vow

Cited: Dyer, Chad M. Edgar Allen Poes The Cask Of Amontillado. Diss. Ball State, 1992. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Web. <https://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/bitstream/handle/190175/1/D94_1991DyerChadM.pdf>. Poe, Edgar A. The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin 's, 2003. Print. Riggs, Kait. "Google Books." Google Books. Creative Education, n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2012. <http://books.google.com/books?hl=en>.