Is protecting the family reputation a valid motive to commit murder? In the story The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe, it begins and ends with a recounting of a faithful night where Fortunato is subsequently murdered by Montresor for “The thousand injuries caused by Fortunato” (Peters 31). The recounting of this story could be seen as someone’s last confession before dying and entering the house of the lord. Interestingly, during the end of Montresor’s closing statement, he states “For the half of a century no mortal has disturbed them” (Peters 37).This closing statement leads me to agree with Hirsch when he states “On his death bed he can finally make the deed known with impunity, and in making it known, he finally completes his act
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Montresor stated “For half of a century no mortal has disturbed them” (Peters 37). This signifies that at least fifty years has passed since the crime was committed. The fact is that Montresor could not have been extremely young because of his actions and thoughts that went through his head. He needed to be around in his late twenties or early thirties to have committed the murder. Add fifty years on top of the age he committed the murder. He needed to be around sixty to seventy years old when he was confessing his deed. People might argue that being sixty and seventy years old is not considered to be an age where someone is dying. However, this confession could have occurred during the eighteen or nineteenth centuries because modern families do not have a motto or arms anymore. The only exception would be for royal families. Therefore, the life expectancy was not long compared to modern times. This increases the idea of what Hirsch tries to convey towards the reader. Since so much time had passed, Montresor must have been at a point in his life where his life was about to end. Taking into consideration his old age and the criteria that he needed to complete the act of revenge, it is plausible to believe that the story is simply the recounting of what had occurred in the
Montresor stated “For half of a century no mortal has disturbed them” (Peters 37). This signifies that at least fifty years has passed since the crime was committed. The fact is that Montresor could not have been extremely young because of his actions and thoughts that went through his head. He needed to be around in his late twenties or early thirties to have committed the murder. Add fifty years on top of the age he committed the murder. He needed to be around sixty to seventy years old when he was confessing his deed. People might argue that being sixty and seventy years old is not considered to be an age where someone is dying. However, this confession could have occurred during the eighteen or nineteenth centuries because modern families do not have a motto or arms anymore. The only exception would be for royal families. Therefore, the life expectancy was not long compared to modern times. This increases the idea of what Hirsch tries to convey towards the reader. Since so much time had passed, Montresor must have been at a point in his life where his life was about to end. Taking into consideration his old age and the criteria that he needed to complete the act of revenge, it is plausible to believe that the story is simply the recounting of what had occurred in the