The stories “The Black Cat” and “The Cask of the Amontillado” are both written by Edgar Allan Poe and have gruesome killers as the narrators. “The Black Cat” tells of a man who is driven into madness by his alcoholism; he later acts on murderous impulses ending the lives of his wife and cat. “The Cask of the Amontillado” describes the narrator, Montresor, as a man with a plan for vengeance. Montresor continues to be manipulative in following through with his murderous plan in light of settling a dispute. In both cases the reliability of their argument is questioned, but by understanding the narrators, their intentions, and their actions it becomes evident that there is a difference between these criminals. The characters, throughout their
