The Cask Of Amontillado Point Of View Essay

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Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” is told from the point of view of the villain protagonist, Montresor. However, on the WebQuest page entitled, “Knowing Poe: Point of View for ‘The Cask of Amontillado’”, the same story is presented in the viewpoint of a narrator. There are multiple similarities and differences between the two, but ultimately having the point of view of a narrator gives readers a more neutral look into the story, so they can focus on the story itself.
To begin with, the original point of view from the protagonist Montresor is mainly about Montresor’s personal experiences and thoughts, whereas the narration is more general and includes more of the other main character, Fortunato, and his actions. A quote from Montresor’s
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For example, the narration says, “Montresor ignored the tumult around him, torturing his mind to clear itself in preparation for the task ahead. There was no room for anger now. All would be avenged” (WebQuest “Cask” Narration). This action of Montresor is similar to when he states, “[A wrong] is equally undressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong… I continued, as was my wont, to smile in his face” (Poe “Cask” 7-8). Both of the viewpoints are beneficial to the reader in this situation since they are alike and they can help one to follow the thoughts of the character and the events.
In conclusion, there are many differences and some similarities in the narrated version of “The Cask of Amontillado” and the original story. Essentially, having the narrator’s point of view in a short story like this one gives readers a more neutral look into the story, so they can understand both characters more, visualize scenes easily, follow the thoughts of the character and the events, and focus on the story

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