Justice In The Cask Of Amontillado

Two men walk to their graves in two deadly tales of people striving for justice. In the short stories, “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allen Poe, and “Killings” by Andre Dubus, two men kill the man that brought them grief in order to feel justice for the crimes committed against them. Both of these stories have a common theme, justice, and it is used in both similarly, such as, how they brought their victims to their death, how each man felt prior to the killing, and the pain that killing brings. In both stories, a man felt wronged. In the story “Killings”, Matt Fowler plots to kill Richard, the man that took his son’s life. In doing so, he takes Richard around town telling him that he’s helping him jump bail. However the whole thing is actually a ploy to cover Matt’s tracks for the murder he’d soon commit. In the story “The Cask of Amontillado”, Montresor feels that Fortunato has insulted him and given him a thousand injuries. In order to avenge these injuries he leads Fortunato through his family vault with the promise of Amontillado, an expensive wine. However, Fortunato will soon find …show more content…
In “Killings”, Matt notices Richard around town and feels the rage swell up inside him each time. The presence of Richard hurts everyone he is close to and also himself. His hate for Richard grows so strong that he begins to carry a gun and plots to kill for the first time. Similarly in “The Cask of Amontillado”, Montresor explains that he has had a thousand injuries brought upon him by Fortunado. This is upsetting to Montresor and the fact that Fortunado has insulted him really pushed Montresor off the edge. The hurt and embarrassment he feels from Fortunado also pushed Montresor to kill. Both men in the story felt wronged and they needed revenge. They both felt that murder was the only justice the menaces in their lives deserved, and they both felt that they needed to ensure that