Montresor’s Motive Of Revenge In A Cask Of Amontillado

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Montresor’s Motive of Revenge in Edgar Allen Poe’s A Cask of Amontillado
The desire to undertake revenge has been an action of individuals throughout history. People have engaged in war because of one reason: revenge. The desire to carry out revenge has been a central theme in various stories. The American author Edgar Allan Poe often deals with this theme. In A Cask of Amontillado, Poe demonstrates that the thirst for revenge ultimately leads to the death of a man. Fortunato dies because Montresor must punish him for insulting him. The inebriation and ultimately the live burial of Fortunato shows the extent to which someone can go to revenge. Poe plays on the readers’ fear of death and the curiosity surrounding the burial. The story allows the audience to enter into world of the murderer to understand why revenge can motivate such an evil action. While an insult appears as something insignificant, it is the main motive for revenge in the story.
An insult is the main source of revenge. From the beginning of the story, the reader gets to know that Fortunato committed various injuries to Montresor, who did not retaliate in any way. Montresor demonstrates he has experienced much pain from his friend. However, Montresor indicates that when his Fortunato insulted him, he could not withstand it. It is at this moment that Montresor vowed to revenge. Montresor knows that avenging is wrong and that he stands to gain nothing from revenge. Revenging will certainly not ease his pain and suffering. Nonetheless, Montresor thinks carefully about his plan. He concludes that revenge is something that is worth it. Montresor goes further to indicate that he will not only punish, but also do so with a lot of impunity. In the story, Montresor spends more time talking about “how” he carried out his plan as opposed to “why” he did it (Elhefnawy 103). Montresor wants the audience to understand that his desire for revenge was so much that he did not care about what Fortunato felt.
Montresor undertakes his revenge mission in the most cunning way. While he claims that Fortunato has insulted and offended him, he does not show it on the outward. Instead, pretend that Fortunato has done nothing wrong. The move allows Fortunato to continue trusting him. Unknown to Fortunato, Montresor is using trust as a trap to kill him. Montresor invites his friend for a drink in his house. During this time, Fortunato is uninformed of the motives of the invitation. He even proceeds to drink beyond healthy drunkenness. Montresor takes advantage of the situation and suggests that the two walk the dark halls of the house. Here, Montresor convinces his victim to go into the remote part. It is at this point that Montresor executes his plan. He shackles Fortunato into the wall and buries him alive under a wall of bricks (Richard 185). Montresor has caught Fortunato by complete surprise, which makes his plan a success.
The story allows readers to enter into the mind of a murderer. Explaining instances like the murder of Fortunato would be challenging without considering the point of view of the murderer. The cause and death of Fortunato would have remained a myster...