The Cask of Amontillado Term Paper

Kewal Prasad Sapkota

Jiba Nath Lamsal

English 550.1: Introduction to Literature and Literary Analysis

Roll No: 86

July 24th 2016

Point of View in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”

This research paper attempts to explore the point of view of Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “The Cask of Amontillado”. The author’s portray of personal emotions and feelings of characters can be shown by the way of point of view is presented. I have tried to analyze the use of point of view of the author and how point of view is creating the quality of the story on its own. This research paper tries to show how the first-person narration style is essential in creating the original quality of the story. This first-person style of narration establishes a personal connection between the reader and the narrator, who in this case is also the main character. Montresor is a narrator in this story, and dedicated to his own point of view, which is cold, merciless, brutal, conniving, and vengeful.

The point of view means the mode of narration that an author employs to let the reader what takes places in a story. It also reflects the opinion of an individual.. Author uses different kinds of point of view to express effectively what they want to say to their readers. Point of view can be influenced by the tone, persona and voice of the particular character also. According to M.H. Abrams in the Glossary of Literary Terms:

Point of View signifies the way a story gets told- the mode(or modes) established by an author by means of which the reader is presented with the characters, dialogues, action, setting, and events which constitute the narrative in a work of fiction. (240)

We can find the story either in the first person or in the third person point of view. First person point of view involves the use of either of the two pronouns “I” and “We” whereas third person point of view uses pronouns like “he”, “she”, “it”, “they” or any other names. A first-person narration may tell a story that is primarily about someone else and such narration may be minor character who plays a small part in the story whereas third-person narrator involves Omniscient, limited omniscient and objective kind of point of view. Here, in this story “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe, the author presented Montresor as the narrator. As we can see, the story also has been presented as a first person point of view.

The choice of first-person narration style of Poe’s decision seems excellent and is essential in creating the quality of the story. We can see the reason so important in the particular story is because of he is a sane killer, and murderer. Montresor is allowed to tell the story from his point of view; and we get a unique and disturbing look into his mind. He does not tell accurate events, but tells his own version which also leads us to believe the narrator is untrustworthy. If we analyze the development of narrative technique, we can find that the way of narrating in the poem has been changed. The narration is shifting between the revengeful voice and self claimed innocence of narrator. Literary critic, James F. Cooney, argues:

In the course of the narrative we learn how Montresor used the cutting edge of irony to give a surgeon's neatness to his work and to secure the greatest possible delight for himself. With consume- mate evil he chose the carnival season for his crime. (2)

Montresor does not reveal every detail so this makes him an unreliable narrator. We audience can more clearly see how he thinks and feels. The reason of this narration style seems so important to the tone of the story, is because it lets us reader become personally familiar with the thoughts and intentions of the main characters.

Since we somewhat knows the outcome from the beginning, it slows us certain ironies to make sense also. We can guess what if the story told from different perspective or character, the story would not have been this much powerful and thrilled. The quality of the story has been essential in creating the effect for audience and first person narration style suits a lot. The narration by Montresor is so important in this particular story because when a sane killer is allowed to tell the story from his point of view and the reader gets a unique, disturbing look into the calmness of his mind. The reader become personally attached with the thoughts and intentions of the main character, and somewhat knows the outcome from the beginning. It allows reader to be closer with plot and character itself. Montressor wants us to see is his own views and ideas through the story so that’s why he doesn’t give any other perspective to states the story.

This story seems full of conflict from beginning to end. We know at the very first beginning, the conflict will be between two main characters. The conflict seems largely internal, because Fortunato is unaware about the hatred feelings of Montresor. The author makes the character of Montresor as a mad man. This concept sets the mood for the quality of the story and its effects on the plot structure as well. The telling of Montressor’s story is biased and egotistical. First person unreliable narrator in this story seems perfectly placed. We are led to believe the narrator of this story is Montressor some fifty years after his crime against Fortunato. We can find horrible revenge for Fortunato by the narrator. He made even more horrible by the fact that the revenge is being taken when no real offense had been given. He doesn’t mind telling us about his torture and murder of Fortunato. He thinks what he did was the right way to handle the situation. The narrator of this story, who is Montressor, does not reveal why such a conflict exists but he only states that Fortunato insulted him and he have to punish him.

I must not only punish but punish with impunity. A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong. It must be understood that neither by word nor deed had I given Fortunato cause to doubt my good will. I continued, as was my in to smile in his face, and he did not perceive that my to smile now was at the thought of his immolation. (191)

Montressor premeditated revenge against Fortunato with no hint that what the insults are. He takes revenge on Fortunato by luring him into the wine cellar under the family estate. There he leads Fortunato into the depths of the catacombs where he buries him alive by walling him into a recess in the wall. We are to presume that his version is clear but in reality, this version is prejudiced. We are expected to express concern for his decisions on the night of Fortunato’s death, but we view Montressor as a merciless and ruthless man. It can be assumed that Fortunato did not deserve death for an insult he was unaware of, and Montressor’s view of Fortunato is biasness.