The Cask Of Amontillado

Want to read the rest of this paper? Join Essayworld today to view this entire essay and over 50,000 other term papers

external
struggle because Fortunato and Montresor are in a life and death fight. However, the conflict is
largely internal, because Montresor has a fierce hatred that Fortunato is unaware of. The
narrative hook seems to occur when Fortunato follows Montresor into the vault. Even if the
reader was confused by the language of the first paragraph or is puzzled by the motive of the
narrator, he/she is curious to know what will happen next. Knowing that revenge is at hand the
reader wonders what it will be. Why is he taking him underground?
The climax of the story is when Montresor chains Fortunato to the wall and begins to
layer the bricks. It is the high point of emotional involvement. It is at this point that the reader
may ask themselves if this is really about to happen. The conclusion lets us know that Montresor
was never punished for this crime. Fifty years has passed and he is an old man telling the story on
his deathbed. The true horror is that Fortunato died a ...

Get instant access to over 50,000 essays. Write better papers. Get better grades. Already a member? Login

his forebears were. He shows no
remorse about what he has done, even in old age. When he says, "May he rest in peace"(196) at
the end of the story, the reader gets the feeling he means, " I hope you stay there and rot" rather
than, "I hope you found joy and peace in heaven."
We don't really know much about Fortunato: just enough to know that he must not have
really known the true heart of his friend. He must not have been a guarded person. He must have
said too much to make Montresor think he was insulting him and he must have boasted about his
knowledge of wines. You feel that Fortunato was probably a bit too sociable and a bit foolish.
He was an unfortunate man who found himself ...

Succeed in your coursework without stepping into a library. Get access to a growing library of notes, book reports, and research papers in 2 minutes or less.

CITE THIS PAGE: