Reaction to "The Cask of Amontillado"

This was the first time that I have ever read Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado,” which seems like a rare occurrence in our class. I have, however, always loved Poe’s writing style and content; I guess something attracts me to macabre short stories. As always, Poe did not disappoint.

The story is told through the eyes of Montressor, the soon-to-be killer seeking revenge. I loved how Poe presented this work, and many of his others, from this perspective. The reader gets to see how the murderer is thinking, planning, and scheming to achieve his goals. However, Montressor is not the more reliable narrator. While I think that he is honest about his actions and thoughts, he never mentions how he does not seem to actually want to follow through on his task once he completely traps his friend.We do get to see some of the hesitancy that Montressor has in paying back Fortunato, but it never actually comes from Montressor’s conscious thoughts. The in-depth look at Montressor’s thoughts helps to connect the reader to the uncertainty about Fortunato’s future.

As I first read through the work, I did not understand why Montressor keeps insisting that Fortunato not accompany him to see the pipe of amontillado, and to his death. Originally, I did not understand Montressor’s hesitancy to lead Fortunato to what Montressor believes is fair retribution; I believed that Montressor must have some reason for making numerous excuses to keep his plan from occurring. The first thought is that it must be reverse psychology; by insisting that they go back, Montressor ensures that they will continue. Another one of my first thoughts was that Montressor wanted Fortunato to cause his own death by succumbing to his own curiosity and Montressor’s flattery, but it seems that Montressor makes far too many excuses to believe that his plan will definitely cause Fortunato’s end in the vaults. Montressor turned our to be much better at playing to people's faults than I initially gave him credit for. Montressor insists "My friend, no; I will not impose upon your good nature. I perceive you have an engagement.” After this failed attempt, he interjects “It is not the engagement, but the severe cold with which I perceive you are afflicted. The vaults are insufferably damp. They are encrusted with nitre." He even later insists that Fortunato returns from the vaults due to his illness, but nothing works. As this was occurring, I could not help but wonder if Montressor has some ulterior motive or if he is simply hesitant to kill his friend. Later, Montressor definitely falters in his plans. Montressor states that “For a brief moment I hesitated, I trembled.” He trembles, pauses, and seems to rethink his plan a number of times. I was surprised at this clear hesitancy coming from a man willing to entomb his friend, leaving him to starvation and cold. Montressor is clearly insane and rather evil, but I could not help but wonder if there was actual some hesitancy to follow through. At the end, I was somewhat surprised that Montressor actually followed through on his task. Despite his resolve, I thought that Montressor’s hesitancy might lead to a different fate for poor Fortunato. However, being Poe, I never expected a happy ending, and I did not receive one. I suppose Fortunato was not so fortunate after all.