This is a question that has puzzled readers of Edgar Allan
Poe's short story, "The Cask of Amontillado," ever since its publication. It is likely
that Poe deliberately did not give more information or a specific reason about the
relationship between the two characters, probably to maintain the mystery that surrounds
the two men. We know that the two, Fortunato and Montresor, are acquaintances, and that
they come from old, wealthy families. As for Montresor's hatred, we are only given two
hints: We know, from the first line of the story,
that
THE
THOUSAND INJURIES of Fortunato I had borne as I best
could...
The injuries are
never explained by Montresor, and there is no further mention of them in the story. We
also know that
... when he ventured upon insult I vowed
revenge.
Again, the specific
insult is never identified, but judging from Montresor's decision to kill Fortunato for
the offense, it must have been fairly serious.
No comments:
Post a Comment