Predator And Prey

3 Pages 726 Words

On the surface, the characters portrayed in Poe’s Cask of Amontillado appear to be predator and prey. Montresor’s meticulous planning and clever words seduce the unsuspecting Fortunato to his death. As the story opens, the narrator, Montresor, reveals to the reader that Fortunato has insulted him with a “thousand injuries”(p. 133), and that these injuries would be answered by revenge; however, nowhere in the story does Fortunato seem aware of the injury he has done to Montresor. Without textual evidence, we cannot be sure if Fortunato’s murder was an act of insanity or righteousness. We are left in a gray area where there is not an exact answer to our question.
Fortunato is portrayed as a foolishly happy man who enjoys partying, having fun, but also “a man to be feared and respected”(p. 144). The Fortunato we see in the book does not seem as one who would be feared or respected, but the story is told from Montresor’s point of view, so we cannot know what is true and what is not. During their encounter, Fortunato blindly follows Montresor’s guidance for several reasons: he is intoxicated at the time of their meeting, he is a “quack”(p. 144), and it is possible that he does not have any justification to distrust Montresor. All three of these reasons are supported by the text in the following lines: “He accosted me with excessive warmth, for he had been drinking much. The man wore motley”(p. 144). Fortunato was greeted with warmth, supporting the idea that there may be evidence that Fortunato never wronged Montresor. It is stated in the text that Fortunato was drunk at the time of the encounter. And finally, Fortunato’s attire also allows the reader to visual him as a fool. His seemingly ‘innocent’ image is also supported by the fact that he never once begged for his life while being walled in. This is probably because he did not feel that his life was being threatened. From the description...