The Cask of Amontillado: Justified Retribution, by Madilyn C. Poole

             In reading “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edger Allen Poe many readers have come to the conclusion that Montresor, the main character and narrator, is mentally disturbed and that the action of killing Fortunato simply testify of his neurosis. It could be argued that Montresor was pitiful in his easy offense and acted irrationally in taking the measures he did to right the wrong done to him. Many argue that Montresor was wrong in what he did, that murdering someone was unwarranted and even sinful. In our societies today and during the time Montresor lived, murder was an unacceptable response, however, Montresor saw it as a necessary and very warranted punishment. 

            Montresor begins the story by stating, “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I have borne as best I could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge.” We never learn what the insult was that caused him to take such brutish measures, but throughout the rest of the story we can see bits and pieces of what the result of this insult has done to Montresor and to his family. He tells us of his house attendants saying, “I had told them that I should not return until the morning, and had given them explicit orders not to stir from the house. These orders were sufficient, I well knew, to insure their immediate disappearance, one and all, as soon as my back was turned.” This passage shows us that Montresor didn’t have the respect the master of a house should have. Whether this respect was lost or never gained is something we are not informed of, however, as we read further we can understand that perhaps this respect was ripped away from him because of what Fortunato had done to him.

Montresor speaks to Fortunato and describes him as “…rich, respected, admired, beloved;…happy; as once I was.” As once I was implies that he is not any longer rich, respected, admired, beloved, happy or a combination of any of the above. I think the consideration of these two quotes allows us as the reader to gain a better understanding of what this insult has done to him and any who carry the Montresor name. He informs the reader that “the Montresors…were a great and numerous family,” again implying they are no longer as great or as numerous as they once were. Montresor did what he could to be patient with Fortunato in bearing the “thousand injuries,” but when he insulted Montresor to a degree that ripped the respect his family name once held, he couldn’t bear with it any longer.

Throughout the remainder of the story, Fortunato speaks to Montresor as a friend. It is clear that Fortunato has no foreboding feelings as he follows Montresor into the dark, damp cellar. He is of course drunk, but he still seems to have no reason to mistrust Montresor or even worry in the slightest as he leads him through the catacombs. In the beginning of this tale, Montresor informs us that he never gave utterance to a threat, leaving the reader to wonder if Fortunato even knew that he had insulted Montresor in such a terrible manner. If he had known, one would think that Fortunato might have either apologized or mistrusted Montresor.

However, we can see that throughout their interactions, Fortunato constantly interrupts and contradicts Montresor in their conversations and with his behavior. Upon seeing this evidence, one can conclude that Fortunato may have had a tendency to speak over Montresor and disrespect him without even realizing it. When we understand this, we can grasp more fully the concept of Fortunato trusting Montresor despite the terrible thing he has done to him. If one would so easily speak ill to someone even while under the influence of strong drinks, it would be easy to see them speaking ill of someone while not under the influence of alcohol. Seeing this, it is highly possible that Fortunato insulted Montresor and the entire Montresor family without ever knowing it.

“Blood is thicker than water” is a very common proverb used in our society to express the importance of family above all else. Patrick White, in his analysis of this short story (The Cask of Amontillado: A Case for the Defense), commented that “to strike one is to strike all.” Montresor then wasn’t indulging in petty revenge, but rather he was bringing justice to his wronged family, honoring them in his actions. He states that “a wrong…is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong.” This quote from the story shows us not only that Montresor believes he must redress the wrong done to him by Fortunato, but that a wrong of similar magnitude needs to be done to his enemy so that his enemy, in turn, can begin to understand the pain and suffering that he and his family have had to bear. To Montresor, the best way to do this was to entomb his “friend” and make him suffer and die.

As we consider the Montresor family motto and coat of arms, the need, in Montresor’s mind, for not only a punishment, but a punishment with impunity becomes even more clear. His family motto translates to: “No one attacks me with impunity.” However, Patrick White states that it could also be translated as “No one bothers me in the slightest with impunity.” Where this might seem arrogant, White argues that this same motto was the motto of the royal family of Scotland confirming that this “lend[s] dignity and validity to what might otherwise seem to be the pretentions of the Montresors.”

Further, we can see in his coat of arms the pride and unrelenting “biting back” portrayed there. Montresor describes his coat of arms; “A huge human foot d’or, in a field azure; the foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs are imbedded in the heel.” White explains that “the coat of arms suggests that if someone put its foot on the family, the family will strike back as best it can, as a snake might strike the heel of the foot that crushes its body, and not lose any of its assurance of virtue.” As we understand more about the culture and upbringing that Montresor would have been exposed to with such a coat of arms and family motto, we can understand more fully how Montresor could see an act of murder as warranted and justified. It is what he must do in order to find the peace he needs and to bring balance back and perhaps gain back a bit of what he and his family have lost as a result of Fortunato’s actions.

It is necessary to understand that a coat of arms and a family motto is not something simply to look at as a decoration or a nice saying, they have a much deeper meaning and purpose. The family motto is to be lived by; it is a foundational guideline. The family coat of arms depicts his ancestor’s strength and his own strength as well as showing him what he must do in order to maintain such a strength. This was Montresor’s belief. It was not just his life and his name; it was his family’s. All past and all future Montresor’s were affected by how Montresor lived, and I could imagine the determination and the obligation he felt to go through with what many may consider a dastardly deed.

One might expect that if Montresor were a normal and sane individual that he would feel remorse for what he did and not recount this tale after fifty years with such pride. However, if we can understand that Montresor didn’t do this deed for himself, we can understand a little more as to why he didn’t feel remorse. White, in his analysis compares Montresor to a soldier fighting for his country. A soldier, when defending the rights of his country will kill ruthlessly and mercilessly without a shred of guilt because he feels he is justified in his actions. He is fighting for something he strongly believes in, something he deems good, right and true. Montresor likewise is fighting for something he regards equally as good, pure and just; his name; the good, once highly respected name of Montresor.

Montresor carried out his deed and accomplished his duty to his family by removing Fortunato and burying him in the catacombs where his ancestral dead lay. He views this deed not as a murder but as an obligation to his family, both past and future. White says: “He was carrying out an obligation to his family as he saw it—as he was culturally conditioned to see it. Now, fifty years after the event, he can recount it with pride.” It is hard to understand that a normal individual could commit such a crime without a shred of remorse. However, as we understand Montresor’s virtues and morals, we can see that he does not view what he did as morally wrong, but morally required of him.

Understanding the level of this insult and what it did not only to Montresor but to his family as well allows us to understand his motivation for wanting to take such extreme measures as taking the life of another human being. At the beginning of the story, Montresor shares that he doesn’t let Fortunato know about his bubbling anger and intended revenge, rather he “continued, as was [his] wont, to smile in his face, and [Fortunato] did not perceive that [his] smile was now at the thought of [Fortunato’s] immolation.” Immolation is a sacrificial killing, implying that Montresor did not see this act of murder as murder. Rather, it was a sacrifice, a simple sacrifice that would bring him a feeling of contentment and would bring joy back into his and his family’s life. I won’t go so far as to say that Montresor believed this was sanctioned of God Himself, but rather, it was his right and a necessary step to be taken to achieve this balance.

  This balance that Montresor sought was viewed by him as justice. This simple thought of justice drove Montresor, as it might to any other individual, to do something that others saw as irrational and even horrific, though as he saw it, it was simply a way in which he could get justice. Montresor did not always hate Fortunato, but he was once esteemed a friend. In the quote above Montresor states that he continued to smile, “as was my wont” or habit. Montresor was used to smiling at Fortunato, he was once happy and once thought highly of Fortunato.

As we read more and more about Montresor and as we begin to understand more about his feelings and his thoughts we can understand better why he took the extreme measures he did. Where murder will never be okay in the eyes of God or man, Montresor never thought of killing Fortunato as cold-blooded murder. He saw it as a perfectly justified act of retribution. Where many believe that Montresor is insane and not a trustworthy narrator, I believe that it is quite the opposite. Montresor had a twisted idea that we do not consider normal, but he himself was not insane or delusional. Montresor was an ordinary individual that sought for justice, but that justice he sought for led him to do something that others would see as a terrible act.

Montresor acted out of love for his family. In the very end of the story, he repeats Fortunato’s plea “for the love of God.” When he says this, I can imagine a weight being lifted off his shoulders, and relief coming into his burdened, broken heart. Fortunato had caused him and his family so much grief in the past and now he was gone, leaving a brighter future for Montresor and his family. Montresor’s world was back in balance. He could begin now to mend his broken reputation and he could return to being respected, beloved, admired and happy. Once again, the Montresors could be a “great and numerous family.” And all this was possible because he fulfilled his obligation to the Montresor name and bit back at the golden foot that stomped on his head.

Works Cited: 

Engel, Leonard W. “VICTIM AND VICTIMIZER: POE'S ‘The Cask of Amontillado.’” Interpretations, vol. 15, no. 1, 1983, pp. 26–30. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/43796956.

John, Graham St. "Poe's THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO." The Explicator 62.2 (2004): 85-8.ProQuest. Web. 17 Mar. 2018.

White, Patrick. ""the Cask of Amontillado": A Case for the Defense." Studies in Short Fiction 26.4 (1989): 550. ProQuest. Web. 19 Mar. 2018.

Poe, Edgar Allan, 1809-1849. The Cask of Amontillado. Charlottesville, Va. : Boulder, Colo.:University of Virginia Library Electronic Text Center ; NetLibrary, 1993. Print.