The Cask of Amontillado
“The truth of your character is expressed through the choice of your actions” (Dr. Steve Maraboli). Edgar Allan Poe had a gift for making his characters come alive in his stories. Not only is this quote relevant for society today, but it also correlates perfectly with the main character, Montresor. Throughout “The Cask of Amontillado,” Montresor shows the reader numerous times that his character is vindictive, manipulative, but yet shares a valuable learning opportunity for the audience. When a person is considered vindictive, they are showing a strong or unreasoning desire for revenge. This is true in the sense that Montresor was out to kill a man because of the “thousand injuries and an insult” the man supposedly …show more content…
Whether individuals inadvertently hurt others or not, they should always choose to encourage those around them. Relationships can be damaged by quite easily by words spoken or by a quick glance. The Golden Rule states to “treat others the way you want to be treated.” This is something each individual should choose to strive for on a daily basis. Another lesson that can be learned by this story is that every person is different, but that does not make our differences worthy of exploiting. Fortunato is someone who loves to have a good time and Montresor exploited that by using his weaknesses for his own gain. The final piece of advice that can be taken from Poe’s story is seeking revenge is not always the answer. In Montresor’s case, he failed to get the authorities involved and chose to seek revenge by being vindictive and manipulative. By seeking his own revenge, Montresor left the catacombs with his “heart feeling sick” (Poe 121) like stated earlier. Montresor could have easily let the law take over and find justice for the “thousand injuries” done to him. These three life lessons are not all “The Cask of Amontillado” has to offer, but they are some of the most important
“The truth of your character is expressed through the choice of your actions” (Dr. Steve Maraboli). Edgar Allan Poe had a gift for making his characters come alive in his stories. Not only is this quote relevant for society today, but it also correlates perfectly with the main character, Montresor. Throughout “The Cask of Amontillado,” Montresor shows the reader numerous times that his character is vindictive, manipulative, but yet shares a valuable learning opportunity for the audience. When a person is considered vindictive, they are showing a strong or unreasoning desire for revenge. This is true in the sense that Montresor was out to kill a man because of the “thousand injuries and an insult” the man supposedly …show more content…
Whether individuals inadvertently hurt others or not, they should always choose to encourage those around them. Relationships can be damaged by quite easily by words spoken or by a quick glance. The Golden Rule states to “treat others the way you want to be treated.” This is something each individual should choose to strive for on a daily basis. Another lesson that can be learned by this story is that every person is different, but that does not make our differences worthy of exploiting. Fortunato is someone who loves to have a good time and Montresor exploited that by using his weaknesses for his own gain. The final piece of advice that can be taken from Poe’s story is seeking revenge is not always the answer. In Montresor’s case, he failed to get the authorities involved and chose to seek revenge by being vindictive and manipulative. By seeking his own revenge, Montresor left the catacombs with his “heart feeling sick” (Poe 121) like stated earlier. Montresor could have easily let the law take over and find justice for the “thousand injuries” done to him. These three life lessons are not all “The Cask of Amontillado” has to offer, but they are some of the most important