menacing catacombs leaves for an interesting setting change.
Although several characters are mentioned in this story, the true focus lies upon
Montresor, the diabolical narrator of this tale of horror, who pledges revenge upon Fortunato, a
long time friend of his for an insult, said long ago, that was misinterpreted. When the two meet
during the carnival season, there is a warm greeting with excessive shaking of hands which
Montresor attributes to the fact that Fortunato had been drinking. Montresor also appears to be
happy to see Fortunato, although it is in false pretense. Fortunato’s clown costume is appropriate
for the carnival season. however, also ironic, for what is to take place, is anything but a joke.
“The Cask of Amontillado? is a sufficient tale of revenge. Montresor pledges revenge
upon Fortunato for an insult. He intends to seek vengeance in support of his family motto: “No
one assails me with impunity.” It is important for Montresor to have his victim know what is
happening to him. Montresor will derive pleasure from the fact that his victim, Fortunato, will
suffer the pain of being buried alive, and be aware of the fact all along. Poe does not intend for the
reader to sympathize with Montresor because he has been wronged by Fortunato, but rather to
judge him. In structure, there can be no doubt, that both Montresor’s plan of revenge and Poe’s
story are carefully crafted to create the desired effect of pure evil.
The conflict in this story is the bond that holds the story together. As said before, the
insult in-which Fortunato inflicted on Montresor sometime in the past, has led up to this night,
in-which Montresor finds adequate to seek revenge. After a friendly meeting, and invite back to
his home, Montresor begins to bask in the pleasure of knowing that his foes doom in approaching.
Luring Fortunato with a very fine wine, Amontillado, both men make their way to Montresor?s
cask. Aware of the fact that Fortunato is feeling the affects of the alcohol, Montresor makes his
move. The story moves to Montresor placing the bricks tier by tier to cover the wall in-which he
has chained Fortunato in. As the last brick is places, Fortunato begins to play the whole thing off
as a joke, however, he soons realizes it it anything but that. It grows quite for a short time, but
then Montresor hears the sinister laugh of his foe followed by no explanation.
Poe, using again a customary literary technique, turns foreshadowing. Although there are
hints of other techniques, I feel that foreshadowing is best represented. Throughout the walk
towards Montresor?s casks, he is constantly dropping hints on to what is about to take place ? the
cough is merely nothing; it will not kill me. I shall not die of a cough.? ? True, true.? Obviously,
Montresor is not intending to give away his plan, however, it seems that he is amusing himself
with his clues that Fortunato is not paying any attention to. Although it is hinted in the beginning
of the story about what is to be Fortunato?s fate, it is never specifically stated. The clues that
Montresor drops along the lines of conversation allow us to get a clearer idea of what is to take
place.
The Black Cat
As the story begins, the narrator is in jail awaiting his execution, which will occur on the
following day, for the brutal murder of his wife. At that point, the rest of the story is told in
flashback, as the narrator pens. The story moves to the events occurring prior to his crime. The
narrator tells of the events occurring, taking place mainly in his home, however, moving only
seldomly to other locations, such as the local tavern. Although several characters are mentioned in
this story, the true focus lies upon the, again nameless narrator. He speaks of himself with the
up-most regard until the events in-which he is focusing on begin to occur. It is easy to point out
that the man’s personality had undergone a drastic transformation which he attributes to his abuse
of alcohol and the perverse side of his nature, which the alcohol seemed to evoke. The reader also
discovers that the narrator is superstitious. Oddly, he states that he once was especially fond of
animals, and he was pleased to find a similar fondness for pets in his wife. The cat was a large,
beautiful animal who was entirely black. Pluto, as he was called, was the narrator’s favorite pet.
He alone fed him, and Pluto followed the narrator wherever he went. Two minor roles are played
by the narrators wife, and the local police department, whom discover the body of the narrators
murdered wife.
?The Black Cat? unlike ?The Tell Tale Heart? does not deal with premeditated murder. It
is explained that the narrator appears to be a happily married man, who has always been
exceedingly kind and gentle. He attributes his downfall to perverseness. Perverseness provides the
rationale for otherwise unjustifiable acts, such as killing the first cat or rapping with his cane upon
the plastered-up wall behind which stood his wife’s corpse. He had no justification for this, yet
proceeded to do so as he wished. It can be argued that what the narrator calls perverseness is
actually the working of his conscience. Guilt about his alcoholism seems to the narrator the
perverseness which causes him to kill the first cat. Guilt about those actions indirectly leads to the
murder of his wife who had shown him the gallows on the second cat’s breast. The narrators
feeling of triumph after thinking he had covered his crime perfectly shows his total disregard for
the life of his loved one.
Poe uses two literary techniques that in-turn make up the bulk of the story.
Foreshadowing and flashback are clearly shown throughout the story. Poe’s pronounced use of
foreshadowing leads the reader from one event to the next by using such statements as “one
night,” “one morning,” “on the night of the day.” Within the first few paragraphs of the story, the
narrator foreshadows that he will violently harm his wife. The most important foreshadowing clue
given is the fact that the story starts off with the narrator in prison awaiting his execution, this
alone shows that sometime before the conclusion of the story that the narrators fate will take a
treacherous turn.
The story itself is based upon a flashback. The narrator is writing his story as he awaits his
execution, all of what is being told had already occurred. This leaves the reader to speculate the
reasons why the narrator is telling his story from prison. Poe, in his tradition, allows suspense to
play a role through telling the story in a flashback style.
The conflict, as in ?The Tell Tale Heart? is not only between the narrator and an outside
character, however, it is also with himself. The obvious conflict is between the two black cats and
the narrator. It is stated that the conflict peeked with the minor attack of the cat on the mans
hand, however, the narrator is not sure why his feelings towards the animal changed, although he
believes that alcohol played a role in that. On the other hand, a conflict, the most important one at
that, seems to take place in the narrator himself. Superstition mixed with the effects of alcohol
seemed to place the man in a demented state. Oddly, he committed his most brutal act of killing
his wife while he was not under the influence. It is not directly stated what made the man snap as
he did, possibly that is what Poe wanted, for us to decide on our own.
The wild, eerie and wildly tormented world of Edgar Allan Poe has enchanted the reader
of his work since after his death.. His achievements are particularly great considering the
miserable life he led, both personally and publicly. Poe?s stories remain different, yet similar at the
same time, able to tie into each other however in a way, completely abstract from any other.
Although he was never an acclaimed writer until after his death, his work up to this day and those
preceding it, will be remembered as great works.