Montresor and The Misfit Comparing and analyzing Montresor (from Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado) and the Misfit (from O’Connor’s A Good Man is Hard to Find) in terms of character development, conflict, and motivation can be a task in itself. In terms of character development, there are similarities and differences between the two characters. At first glance, Montresor, the protagonist, appears to have assumed a murderous and psychopathic character. This is not really surprising, he can also be described as insecure and obsessive because of his persistent bragging and over thinking of Fortunato. But as the story progresses, it becomes very evident that Montresor’s defining attribute is not vengefulness but narcissism. As a prominent aristocrat,
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Throughout the story, it is no clear what Montresor’s motive for killing Fortunato. He fails to make himself felt as a victim. He simply wants Fortunato to suffer and die a terrible death. In one way or another, it can be argued that not only is Montresor narcissistic but also is suffering from some form of mental disturbance. He could not properly justify his crime. And even more troubling is that fact that he takes pleasure in doing the act himself. Thus, the swelling narrative of the story shifts from exacting vengeance to grounding mental disturbance as the primary causal action. As McGrath puts …show more content…
He is more concerned about the consequences of his actions. After murdering the family, one of his sidekicks says that the family’s murder was good. The Misfit chastises him, arguing that there is no real pleasure in life. Clearly, the family’s murder is a necessary act – an act of survival on the part of the Misfit and his boys. The conflict therefore lies not within, as the Misfit does not exhibit any signs of psychosis, but from without. This is due to the fact that the Misfit was persistently questioning the prevailing philosophy of the time (philosophy regarding happiness, crime, punishment, and self-preservation):
‘Jesus thrown everything off balance,’ he reasons. ‘It was the same case with Him as with me except He hadn't committed any crime and they could prove I had committed one because they had the papers on me.’ Shortly after this, he shoots her thrice in the chest (Nazaryan and Nazaryan
Throughout the story, it is no clear what Montresor’s motive for killing Fortunato. He fails to make himself felt as a victim. He simply wants Fortunato to suffer and die a terrible death. In one way or another, it can be argued that not only is Montresor narcissistic but also is suffering from some form of mental disturbance. He could not properly justify his crime. And even more troubling is that fact that he takes pleasure in doing the act himself. Thus, the swelling narrative of the story shifts from exacting vengeance to grounding mental disturbance as the primary causal action. As McGrath puts …show more content…
He is more concerned about the consequences of his actions. After murdering the family, one of his sidekicks says that the family’s murder was good. The Misfit chastises him, arguing that there is no real pleasure in life. Clearly, the family’s murder is a necessary act – an act of survival on the part of the Misfit and his boys. The conflict therefore lies not within, as the Misfit does not exhibit any signs of psychosis, but from without. This is due to the fact that the Misfit was persistently questioning the prevailing philosophy of the time (philosophy regarding happiness, crime, punishment, and self-preservation):
‘Jesus thrown everything off balance,’ he reasons. ‘It was the same case with Him as with me except He hadn't committed any crime and they could prove I had committed one because they had the papers on me.’ Shortly after this, he shoots her thrice in the chest (Nazaryan and Nazaryan