What Happened Before the Story in "The Cask of Amontillado?" - Essay Sample

Introduction

Edgar Allan Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado" is a short story whose primary theme is revenge. One of the main characters, Montresor, holds a grudge against his friend, Fortunato. While he does show or outwardly express his dissatisfaction and bitterness towards Fortunato throughout the text, Montresor plans to exact revenge with impunity(Poe 1). Thus, he bides his time and waits for the right opportunity that will enable him to punish Fortunato. The text begins with Montresor hinting that he has had to endure pain and humiliation due to Fortunato's actions. However, Montresor has never given Fortunato a reason to doubt his goodwill since he continues to smile in his face despite how much he loathes. Their first interaction shows how well Montresor pretended in Fortunato's presence.

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Montresor: My dear Fortunato, you are luckily met. How remarkably well you are looking today.

Fortunato: The luck is mine, good fellow.

The conversation depicts people that one would assume are genuinely close friends. However, the exchange marks the start of Montresor's meticulously designed revenge plot. Since the story sets off without a prelude of what led Montresor to seek revenge, it is essential to attempt a narration of what happened before the story in "The Cask of Amontillado."

Montresor revels in the fact that his early life was hard compared to that of his peers. Despite being one of the few people with the finest of labels, he had a difficult time fitting in among men of his age. The Montresors, members of the old aristocracy, were a great and numerous family(Poe 3). However, the stature and respect accorded to them did not enable Montresor to form strong relations with the people around him. Throughout his life as a teenager and later as an adult, he struggles to find a way not to be such as an outcast. It is an exercise in futility since he does not understand why is hard for him to bond with others. As he obsesses about his place in the family and society, he observes a man that many people are easily attracted to. The ease with which he interacts and talks with other people in the community intrigues Montresor. Thus, fascinated, he becomes curious to know more about him.

Members of the Montresor bloodline were people who had great taste in various aspects of life. To a large extent, Montresor did not fit the part. As a result, his family kind of shunned him. From an early age. most of the family members made deliberate attempts to avoid or stay away from him. Such behavior from fellow Montresors aimed to avoid the shame that came from associating with an ostracized person. Montresor attributes the shunning to his personality and spirit. To understand himself and his circumstances better, he seeks the services of a spiritual healer. He hopes to figure out the puzzle that is his life and why people tend to distance themselves from him. On his way to see the spiritual healer, he gets a chance to meet Fortunato. He gets to witness how much the people he interacts with love him. Hence, Montresor perceives the life of Fortunato as more meaningful and fulfilling.

Montresor continues to ponder over why he is not accepted for who he is by the people close to him as well as others outside his family. It is a question that bothers him for a long time as he cannot figure out what it will take for him to gain acceptance. He craves to belong to the family and to have people who show him, love. He desires to have someone that genuinely cars about him and his welfare. However, this remains a challenge since no one could quite understand him. As an outcast, he has not had the chance to interact freely or closely with a lot of people. Therefore, there is a minimal likelihood that anyone has had an opportunity to bond with him. Seeking to change the situation, Montresor takes it upon himself to figure out a way not to be different from everyone else. Hence, he embarks on a journey that will prove challenging given his condition.

His visit to the spiritual healer does not offer much prospects or insight as to why he is different from other Montresors. According to the healer, the problem does not lie within or emanate from his spirit. The feedback does not provide the much-needed answers that Montresor seeks. The interaction with the spiritual healer makes him realize that it is not his spirit or a condition that makes him struggle to fit in with others. The encounter breeds the thought that it is highly likely that it is just the way he was when he was born. The idea creates the impression that it almost beyond his power to change anything to improve his situation in society. Montresor's odd nature, which led to being shunned by his family, hints at the fact that neither of his parents wanted or expected him to turn out the way he did. Therefore, they chose to respond in an unkind manner by ostracizing him.

Having met Fortunato and seeing how well-loved he was by the people he interacted with, Montresor developed a strong desire to become like him. He wishes he could be like Fortunato so he could get a chance to enjoy the feeling of being loved and cared for by other people. Montresor goes ahead to befriend Fortunato hoping to learn his ways and become better at bonding with other members of society. However, the treatment that he receives does not match his expectations. He feels as though he suffers even more at the hands of Fortunato. Besides, during their friendship, Montresor does not succeed in his pursuit to belong to any group in the community. Fortunato, on the other hand, continues to charm people and receives all the attention. The insults and snide remarks directed at Montresor do not help the situation either. Consequently, Montresor decides to exact revenge on Fortunato because he is getting the love he never gets. Thus, the story begins by stating that a thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could. But when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge.

Rewritten Passage

Having met Fortunato and seeing how well loved he was by the people he interacted with, Montresor was blown away by the personality of Fortunato. He learned that other members of the society held him in high regard and valued his opinion on several matters. Thus, he developed a strong desire to become like him. He wishes he could be like Fortunato so he could get a chance to enjoy the feeling being loved and cared for by other people.Members of the community adored and respected him in equal measure. Montresor goes ahead to befriend Fortunato hoping to learn his ways and become better at bonding with other members of society. For instance, Fortunato took pride in his connoisseurship in wine. He was one of the rare Italians who have true virtuoso spirit(Poe 1). People came from far and wide to consult him about the right quality of wine to buy and it's pricing. However, the treatment that he receives does not match his expectations. He feels as though he suffers even more at the hands of Fortunato. Fortunato used statements and jokes like Montresor had lost some elegance and taste with time due to ageing.Besides, during the course of their friendship, Montresor does not succeed in his pursuit to belong to any group in the community. Fortunato, on the other hand, continues to charm people and receives all the attention. The insults and snide remarks directed at Montresor do not help the situation either.

Work Cited

Poe, Edgar Allan. The cask of Amontillado. The Creative Company, 2008.