Narrator's Flaws

Narrators, just like newspapers, CNN, Fox News, etc. gives us news and are reliable sources. Even though it may seem like if the narrator knows, and tells the reader, everything about the story and the characters in it, everything would be perfect because there are no loose ends, but that isn’t how it works. The narrator's flaws build the story, it leaves room for the mind to wander on it’s own without being told everything. In three stories we have read this year, “The Cask of Amontillado”, “Harrison Bergeron”, and “The Sniper”, all have had narrator flaws and unexpected jaw dropping moments, but that builds the story into a fascinating story. All three of these stories have flawed narrators that build the story in their own way, by not telling …show more content…
You only hear Montresor's side of the story in “The Cask of Amontillado” from the narrator and can infer few things about Fortunato by dialog. Did Fortunato die? Did Fortunato deserve whatever happened to him? Is any of this real or is Montresor mental? All of these questions come from having a flawed narrator, it allows the reader to question and infer. Considering Edgar Allen Poe starts this story off so gladly speaking of “The thousand injuries of Fortunato” (212) his revenge had called for but ends speaking of how for “half of a century no mortal has disturbed” (217) Fortunato’s bones makes the reader question if any of it actually happened because no criminal would be so open about such a crime, giving the location, the cause of possible death, and a suspect if he is dead or harmed. With a narrator not telling the reader of everything about either Fortunato, or Montresor, the reader is left knowing both characters most likely had mental issues and Montresor got his revenge on Fortunato possibly killing the character. The flaws of the narrator in “The Cask of Amontillado” consist of, the narrator only speaking one side of the story, not specifying what exactly happened to the character, and not giving backgrounds on the