Table of contentsThe Cask of Amontillado: argumentative essayThe motive for the crime in The Cask of AmontilladoMontresor's reasoningIrony to foreshadow the eventsThe burden of guiltConclusionWorks citedThe Cask of Amontillado: Argumentative Essay “The Cask of Amontillado” is a short story written by Edgar Allan Poe in 1846, shortly after the publication of his most famous poem “The Raven.” During this period, Poe explored the darker tones of Gothic fiction and presented his characters in a creepy and frightening context to illustrate their nature. This technique was also seen in some of his other works, including "The Fall of the House of Usher" (1839) and "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" (1841). The characters in these tales are often oppressed or facing desperate times, which helped make him the "father of American mysteries." Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Edgar Allan Poe's “The Cask of Amontillado” proves to be a cautionary tale about repressing guilt. The story is told through the point of view of Montresor, a man deeply insulted by his "friend" Fortunato. Montresor swears revenge for the insults thrown at him and his family, and does so through murder. Throughout the story, it becomes apparent that Montresor will not get away with the crime he intends to commit, but will instead be haunted by the details of the act. The motive for the crime and the ironic elements of the story support the idea that conscience cannot be silenced, especially when trying to bury the guilt of one's sins. does not justify the crime he commits, which explains why he feels guilty about this act. At the very beginning of the story, Montresor says: "I bore Fortunato's thousand wounds as best I could, but when he ventured to insult him, I swore revenge." The reason Montresor seeks revenge is not because of the hurt caused, but because Fortunato insulted his family's name. It is revealed that the Montresor family motto is "Nemo me impune lacessit", which translates to "No one insults me with impunity". Montresor feels he can't let Fortunato get away with his insults because of the motto his family lived by. But, at the same time, this reasoning is not enough to justify the murder, not even in Montresor's eyes. This is why he cannot recover from the crime he commits. Although the insults are never described in detail, it can be inferred that they have something to do with societal norms. There is a war between Montresor and Fortunato for their rank in society. The Montresor name declined in importance, while the Fortunato name flourished. Montresor said to Fortunato: “You are rich, respected, admired, loved; you are happy, as I was once.” Montresor is jealous of Fortunato because he gained everything Montresor lost. His revenge is structured not only around reward for his family's name, but also by his own personal envy. Fortunato has everything Montresor wants, but no longer has it. Although jealousy and the hope of avenging his family's insulted name drive Montresor to kill Fortunato, ultimately they do not constitute meaningful justification. Montresor finds it difficult to repress the crime he committed because the guilt is too strong. His motive for murder was not strong enough to allow him to view the crime as justified, so he lives buried in the guilt of a crime committed over half a century ago. that the crime does notwill not unfold as Montresor wishes. In the catacombs, Montresor describes his family's coat of arms to Fortunato; “An immense human golden foot, in an azure field; the foot crushes a slithering serpent whose fangs are buried in the heel.” The description depicts a foot crushing a snake, while the snake bites the foot. This is a double-edged sword that is ironic in relation to the current situation. As if one were the snake and the other the foot, both Fortunato and Montresor will be hurt by Montresor's actions. Fortunato will be killed and Montresor will live in guilt. Montresor seeks revenge for insults to Montresor's name, while Montresor's coat of arms warns of the outcome. His motive being clear, Montresor declares that he must commit the crime without being caught; “I must not only punish but punish with impunity.” This simple statement proves extremely ironic because Montresor succeeds in punishing Fortunato, but he cannot escape. The only guideline for how he should handle his revenge is one that is not followed. Although Montresor does not allow himself to be caught by others, he is the only force that prevents him from freeing himself from crime. Montresor failed in his task. Even though Fortunato is dead, Montresor has lived and will live under the heavy burden of guilt. Ironically, the murder was in vain, as it was not committed with impunity. Montresor's coat of arms and the plan to punish with impunity are ironic details that foreshadow Montresor's fate and his endless burden of guilt. The Burden of Guilt In the end, Montresor succeeds in killing Fortunato, but due to the guilt he can never forget, he never escapes the crime. When he built the wall that buried Fortunato, Montresor struggled with the last stone: “There was only one stone left to lay and plaster. I struggled with his weight.” The last stone represents the deed finally accomplished. Montresor struggles with this because he then has to accept the crime he has committed. Once the last stone has been laid, the crime is committed and it is real. The weight of the last stone also symbolizes the weight that the end of the crime will have on Montresor, and the emotional struggle that repressing the act will have. Montresor struggles with the physical burial of Fortunato, just as he struggles with the emotional burial of his own guilt. Crime is played like a mirror; the final stone and burial representing the emotional weight of the crime and the burial of guilt. Additionally, there are moments in the story that suggest Montresor is hesitant to commit the crime. When he first chains Fortunato to the wall, he stops abruptly: “For a brief moment I hesitated, I trembled.” Montresor isn't sure what he's doing. He has to stop before he can continue. The act of committing the crime becomes real at that moment, it is no longer just a plan. When it is all over, Montresor falls ill: “My heart has become sick; it was the humidity of the catacombs that made it this way.” Niter is not the cause of Montresor's heartache. The cause is crime. Montresor doesn't want to believe that he might feel sick because of what he did, so he offers and apologizes. In reality, Montresor feels guilty. “He still remembers the “sickness of his heart – because of the humidity of the catacombs”, but his heartache probably comes from empathy with the man he leaves to die in this humidity” (Baraban) . Montresor can never escape the heartache he feels in the catacombs because it follows him all his life. After the story is finished, Montresor says, “In pace requiescat,” meaning “May he rest in peace.” This short statement indicates that Montresor regrets what he did and confirms.