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Impunity or Rue in The Cask of Amontillado

 

            Edgar Allan Poe, a prestigious writer, wrote short stories that according to the poetry foundation "greatly influenced the French Symbolists of the late nineteenth century, who in turn altered the direction of modern literature." His oeuvre exhibit great originality along with his eloquent maneuver of language. Like many of Poe's writings in "Cask of Amontillado" (1846) the peruser is aroused to explore into the performance of a sinister mind. Inside lies a vast array of satire: from the title that includes, cask coming from the same root as casket, to unfortunate, Fortunato's name and many more. I presume this anecdote provides an exceptional example of unreliable narrative due to the facet of how this story is reveled. After analyzing Poe's "Cask of Amontillado" (1846) I feel that Montresor has never felt a sense of rue.
             In this story the dark side of human nature is depicted through the character Montresor. Montresor is deceitful, vengeful, and evil. It is because of these traits that he is able to commit the murder of his former friend Fortunato. He opens telling how he has been wronged many times by Fortunato. He declares revenge and states "I must not only punish, but punish with impunity. A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong" (Poe 1). He exclaims how he has not gave "utterance to a threat" (Poe 1). This helps readers to grasp Montresor as dark and cynical with almost a narcissist appeal. In order for someone to have such violent thoughts as clearly as Montresor does they must be sadistic and have a sense of entitlement.
             Montresor encounters Fortunato explaining his attire much like one would picture a jester including the cap with jingling bells. "My dear Fortunato, you are luckily met. How remarkably well you are looking today.


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