troubled thinking
English 111TR
Paper 3
7 November 2013
Troubled Thinking
Although "The Cask of Amontillado" and "A&P" are narrated by two considerably distinct types of narrators in very different situations, both of these stories by Edgar Allan Poe and John Updike take on a comparable meaning through the actions that these characters yield based on their reactions to certain events that lead them to make their fixed decisions. Two characters, Montresor from “The Cask of Amontillado” and Sammy from “A&P,” are the main focus of these plots and each of them is seriously affected in a certain way by their alleged enemies, Fortunato (Montresor’s respected acquaintance) and Lengel (Sammy’s uptight boss). In their societies, both Montresor and Sammy appear to fit in in an everyday life alongside their peers, with common sense and fair judgment skills in sync with the world around them. What makes them different from the rest of the people in their world, is that they do not seem to adapt well to certain occurrences that may and do in fact end up causing them to overreact. Montresor feels he has been insulted multiple times by Fortunato’s remarks, and seeks vengeance against his so-called enemy for his own selfish benefit. On the other hand, Sammy feels that Lengel was unnecessarily insolent with the girls in the grocery store and wishes to make a point by resigning from his job, hoping the girls will appreciate his decision as well. They each seem as if they are disregarding their better judgment in the way that they react to these situations, and they both turn out to be nonconformists when they attempt to solve their solutions to their problems in such catastrophic ways. These primary characters have different morals and beliefs and they both base their decisions on those beliefs, determined to stick to them. Montresor and Sammy act on impulse when they are encountered with their discordances, but strongly feel that they each have a compelling reason to serve
Paper 3
7 November 2013
Troubled Thinking
Although "The Cask of Amontillado" and "A&P" are narrated by two considerably distinct types of narrators in very different situations, both of these stories by Edgar Allan Poe and John Updike take on a comparable meaning through the actions that these characters yield based on their reactions to certain events that lead them to make their fixed decisions. Two characters, Montresor from “The Cask of Amontillado” and Sammy from “A&P,” are the main focus of these plots and each of them is seriously affected in a certain way by their alleged enemies, Fortunato (Montresor’s respected acquaintance) and Lengel (Sammy’s uptight boss). In their societies, both Montresor and Sammy appear to fit in in an everyday life alongside their peers, with common sense and fair judgment skills in sync with the world around them. What makes them different from the rest of the people in their world, is that they do not seem to adapt well to certain occurrences that may and do in fact end up causing them to overreact. Montresor feels he has been insulted multiple times by Fortunato’s remarks, and seeks vengeance against his so-called enemy for his own selfish benefit. On the other hand, Sammy feels that Lengel was unnecessarily insolent with the girls in the grocery store and wishes to make a point by resigning from his job, hoping the girls will appreciate his decision as well. They each seem as if they are disregarding their better judgment in the way that they react to these situations, and they both turn out to be nonconformists when they attempt to solve their solutions to their problems in such catastrophic ways. These primary characters have different morals and beliefs and they both base their decisions on those beliefs, determined to stick to them. Montresor and Sammy act on impulse when they are encountered with their discordances, but strongly feel that they each have a compelling reason to serve