Untitled Essay, Research Paper
Wordss = 2469
Thesis: The Cask of Amontillado is about retaliation.
I. Introduction
II. Psychoanalytical Criticism
A. Poe s Retaliation
1. Father
2. Mother
III. New Criticism
A. Sarcasm of Revenge
1. Controlled
2. Structured
IV. New Historicism
A. History s position of Retaliation
1. Poe s Time
2. Critic s Time
V. Comparison of New Criticism and New Historicism
A. Text s position similar to Poe s
B. Text s position contrasts with Critic s
VI. Reader Response
A. Response to Justification
B. Response to Success
C. Response to Confession
VII. Decision
Nemo me impune lacessit ( Poe 21 ) , Latin intending no 1 assails me with impunity. In this one line Poe characterizes The Cask of Amontillado. It is a narrative of the perfect retaliation and why it is unachievable. The chief character, Montresor, executes a program, which he hopes will penalize [ Fortunato, the offender, ] with impunity ( 18 ) . The short narrative discloses that the act of retaliation is non successful if requital overtakes its redresser and if the retaliator fails to do himself felt as such to him who has done the incorrect ( 18 ) . This narrative revolves around those demands. The thought of retaliation has played a major function in history and even today influences our civilization. Through Psychoanalytical Criticism the branchings of retaliation will be explored, through New Criticism the narrative s point of view on retaliation will be revealed, through New Historicism history s position of retaliation will be discussed with a comparing to that of the text, and through Reader Response the critic s reactions to the narrative will be expounded.
The plot line for The Cask of Amontillado is presented as a memory. Montresor is remembering a dark secret, which has been hidden for half a century, and is squealing his offense to an unknown, soundless hearer. The offense is the pickings of a adult male s life in an act of retaliation. The color of the plot line shows the importance of the memory to Montresor, for even after 50 old ages he still recalls such minor inside informations as Fortunato s eyes being two filmy eyeballs that distilled the rheum of poisoning. This memory embodies Montresor s desires, which looking from a Freudian position could be the remotion of the male parent and the pickings of the female parent. Fortunato could be seen as Poe s male parent, John Allan. Poe describes Fortunato as a rich, respected, admired, beloved ( 20 ) . Through the lifes on Poe and from Silverman, it is learned that John Allan is a Scotsman who is really affluent and respected by many. He was a member of the Masons and had a peculiar fancy for vino ( 316-317 ) . These facts about John Allan mesh with the character of Fortunato really good. It is besides interesting to observe that the Montresor s credo Nemo me impune lacessit is Scotland s national slogan and likely would remind Poe of his male parent. The thought of Poe seeking retaliation on his male parent figure can be understood from his life. Poe and John Allan ne’er got along good and normally were reasoning. When Poe had amassed a big debt, Allan refused to pay it off for him and their bickers over money lasted through John s decease ( Fagin 31-32, 183, 195, 227-28 ) . John Allan left a luck near to a million dollars and Poe was non even mentioned in his will ( Carlson, 7-8 ) . This in itself could animate the retaliation, but the whole thought can take on new significance when the scene is considered.
The scene for the bulk of the plot line is in the catacombs under the house of the Montresor household. The catacombs are a really dark long tunnel and can be seen as a symbol of the uterus from a Freudian position. By come ining the catacombs with his male parent figure and murdering him at that place, Marie Bonaparte believes that Poe is contending for his female parent figure s fondness and destructing his challenger for that fondness ( 224-25 ) . During Poe s life he lost his existent female parent at an early age and so lost his Foster female parent eleven old ages subsequently. It is easy to see how in Poe s head that a nexus between decease and the love of his female parent could be formed. The catacombs being a topographic point of decease are the yonic symbol for his female parents, which are dead. This coupled with the phallic symbol of the puncheons, which support the catacombs, gives manner to the thought that the narrative represents Poe s innermost desires for retaliation against his male parents and the love of his dead female parents. This Psychoanalytical reading differs from that of the New Criticism.
A New Critic s reading on The Cask of Amontillado focal points on the text itself for the significance alternatively of conveying in the writer s life. In this type of reading the form the plot line follows helps us to get at the significance. The act of retaliation is still at the centre of our attending, but now the focal point lies on its form. In this narrative the act of retaliation is round. It begins with the 1000 hurts of Fortunato I, [ Montresor, ] had borne ( Poe 18 ) , progresses to the planning of the penalty, returns to the executing of the program, continues with decision of the design, and starts over with the sting of failure. The narrative accomplishes this disk shape through sarcasm. There look to be two types of sarcasm taking topographic point throughout the narrative. The first type is the obvious sarcasms that Montresor creates and controls, while the 2nd type of sarcasm stems from the construction of the narrative.
The obvious sarcasms are seen in Montresor s duologue with Fortunato. My beloved Fortunato, you are fortunately met ( 19 ) , Agring that Montresor shall non decease of a cough ( 20 ) , and I to your long life are some illustrations of the verbal sarcasm that Montresor uses, and the reader understands one time the flood tide of the narrative is revealed. The act of retaliation is premeditated and because of this it is assumed that Montresor has planned out the sarcasms he uses for pleasance and to fool Fortunato. Finding illustrations of the 2nd type of sarcasm is the most of import to understanding the narrative. The name Fortunato is Italian and means one who is fortunate. This is the 2nd type of sarcasm. Fortunato is far from fortunate when it comes to his traffics with Montresor. The most of import sarcasm that deals with the retaliation is the Montresor s coat of weaponries, a immense pes vitamin D or, in a field of cerulean ; the pes crushes a serpent rampant whose Fangs are imbedded in the heel ( 21 ) , and the household creed that no 1 assails me with impunity. The sarcasm of the two being that the credo calls for the Fortunato to be punish [ erectile dysfunction ] with impunity ( 18 ) , while the coat of weaponries suggests that while penalizing Fortunato, Montresor might acquire the last blow but the sting from Fortunato s bite will non travel off. After completing the narrative this sarcasm is better understood. For it is learned that Montresor is squealing his offense to person and he implies that while the offense was perfect he was unable to acquire the last laugh. This is seen in the last interaction with
Fortunato and how equivocal it is. Montresor calls out:
Fortunato!
No reply. I called once more ;
Fortunato!
No reply still. I thrust a torch through the staying aperture and allow it fall within. There came Forth in return merely a jingling of the bells. My bosom grew ill on history of the moistness of the catacombs. I hastened to do an terminal of my labour. I forced the last rock into its place ; I plastered it up. Against the new masonry I re-erected the old bulwark of castanetss. For the half of a century no person has disturbed them. ( 24 )
Unlike the remainder of the narrative this scene lacks the color that Montresor uses when reciting the action up to this point. This suggest that Montresor realizes in his subconscious that he has non succeeded in his perfect retaliation, but in his conscious he still tries to keep on to it as being flawless. It is inferred that he may be squealing his wickedness to the church, but since he believes that he has achieved his end he does non look to atone or demo remorse hence conveying about this concluding sarcasm. Through the sarcasm in the narrative the disk shape of retaliation is seen and the thought of perfect retaliation is fractured.
Reading The Cask of Amontillado distills several reactions from the reader. The first reaction to the narrative comes about from the thought of whether Montresor is justified in his retaliation. The 2nd reaction comes from farther review of the narrative and whether Montresor succeeded or if he failed. The last reaction stems from who Montresor is speaking to when he says, You, who so good cognize the nature of my psyche ( Poe, 18 ) , and what the intent of reciting the narrative is. Through a Reader Response unfavorable judgment these reactions can be analyzed and an reading of the text can be achieved.
The first response evoked by the narrative is the judgement of an Eye for an Eye manner retaliation. Montresor tell us that a 1000 hurts have been endured and one time the culprit ventures upon abuse he must be punish [ erectile dysfunction ] with impunity. Montresor s pursuit for retaliation can be understood by all, for who has non at one clip felt the privation and necessitate to warrant a incorrect set against them. The job with accepting Montresor s program comes down to the fact that the incorrect is ne’er explained. How can we reprobate a adult male for whom we do non cognize his wickedness? This leaves the readers in uncertainty as to whether Fortunato deserves his destiny, and as such it evokes the determination as to whether we can swear Montresor s point of view on the retaliation. This in bend casts a shadow on the flawlessness of the retaliation, which Montresor needs else he will hold failed and all his work will be for non.
Does Montresor win or is he undone by his empathy towards his victim? This is what causes the 2nd response to the narrative. Throughout the descent to Fortunato s grave, Montresor inquires about his wellness stating, how long have you had that cough! We will travel back ; your wellness is cherished ( 20 ) . It is understood that here Montresor is utilizing boding with sarcasm to assist fool his victim. Once Fortunato starts to sober up, he will recognize that his pride caused his death because he passed up his chances to get away. Or so this is what we see upon first re-inspection. What if Fortunato had taken Montresor up on the offer to return to the house? We get the thought that killing Fortunato with his ain pride is the most of import thing to Montresor. If Fortunato would non allow his pride get in the manner I believe Montresor might hold pulled out the tuck and killed him outright. This plays a cardinal function in the last scene. Why does Fortunato no longer reply Montresor s twits?
But to these words I hearkened in vain for a answer. I grew impatient. I called aloud ;
Fortunato!
No Answer. I called once more ;
Fortunato!
No reply still. I thrust a torch through the staying aperture and allow it fall within. There came Forth in return merely a jingling of the bells. ( 24 )
I believe that Fortunato has eventually realized his day of reckoning and what caused it, by non replying Montresor s twits Fortunato has defeated him. Fortunato would hold won besides if he had gave in and gone back to the palazzo. It is this ground that I can state Montresor would hold killed him. The act of retaliation had consumed Montresor. He carried the tuck with him for insurance. We know he would instinctively utilize his arm in such a instance for when Fortunato s scrams and laments seemed to demo a bug in his programs Montresor hesitated I trembled. Unsheathing my tuck, I began to fumble with it about the deferral ( 23 ) . From this point of view we must spot that Montresor did non win in his perfect retaliation. So why is he reciting his narrative after 50 long old ages?
The last response to The Cask of Amontillado stems from to whom Montresor is stating his narrative and why he is stating it. For the half of a century no person has disturbed them, [ Fortunato s gravesite ] ( 24 ) So why is Montresor now unwraping this secret? He states, In gait requiescat! ( 24 ) This is Latin for remainder in peace. By conveying out the truth of the retaliation and Fortunato s disappearing, Montresor is in fact upseting the grave. Montresor may be squealing his offense to a priest, which would understand the two Latin phrases, but in his confession of the offense he does non look to atone. Therefore Montresor could be triumphing about his perfect retaliation and his deficiency of item about the terminal could be his seeking to conceal the fact that he did non win. Besides we are left to chew over if Montresor is speaking about himself when he says In gait requiescat. Possibly he is seeking to unclutter his scruples of his misbehavior. I believe that Montresor may be on his deathbed squealing his wickednesss to God. I believe he is seeking to convert himself that he had succeeded hence extinguishing the guilt of non prevailing over his enemy. He is non contrite for the act merely that he did non acquire off with it. It reminds me of how when people get caught interrupting a jurisprudence at some point they normally end up stating, I thought that I would ne’er acquire caught. These are merely three of the inquiries that arise from the narrative, many more can come from it but the replies to them all lead to the same decision: Montresor is an imperfect adult male. We can non fault him for that and he should non fault himself, because there is no such thing as flawlessness it is an unapproachable end. Yet, we still strive to achieve it.
Through four types of analysis the cardinal issue of The Cask of Amontillado is seen to be the act of perfect retaliation. What that retaliation symbolizes in each analysis differs, yet the consequences are all the same. It does non count what we are prosecuting we ever fall short of flawlessness. It is no admiration why Montresor failed. Failure is a rough world. It has been known to do some work forces stronger, but for others it breaks them and blight their head. He set his ends excessively high, so he must squeal to ease his torture. Whether we are speaking about Montresor or Poe it truly does non count. The same holds true for all human sort.
