The Importance of the First Person Point of View in “The Cask of Amontillado”
Human beings are capable of committing cruel and unusual acts out of an inner need for revenge. Edgar Allan Poe’s short story, “The Cask of Amontillado,” shows how humans can be corrupted by an obsession and driven to commit the unthinkable. His cunning use of the first person point of view presents a unique view of a mind that is occupied with a desire for hate and revenge. The first person perspective allows the reader to better understand Montresor’s outward appearance, to easily understand his inner mindset, and combine this information to understand the dark side of human nature. All of these ideas support Poe’s ultimate belief that society’s darkest qualities are caused by the corruption brought about by obsession and privilege.
Montresor made a strong attempt to display his actions as noble and valiant. The reader is witnessing Montresor’s attempts to convince another person, most likely another noble, that his criminal act is justified and honorable. This is one of Poe’s best examples of the sheer arrogance that rank brings to people. The very idea that Montresor can openly admit to cruelly murdering someone shows how their society blatantly favors those that are members of the aristocracy. He recalls the entire account with a proud sense of accomplishment and an almost childlike manner. Montressor proudly begins his tale by saying, “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could” (Poe 123). There is no sense of guilt in his voice, and there is no real remorse in his tone. It was just something that he had to do. Montresor is so sure that he will be supported by his fellow noblemen that he is actually bragging about what he did. Montresor tries to achieve this support through justifying the murder. His justifications only further show the arrogance of the aristocracy though. They are worried about petty and childish issues. Montressor claims that the murder was justified because Fortunato “ventured upon insult” (Poe 123). The noblemen actually hold a belief that a cruel death is fitting for a man who harms the honor of another. Montresor even claims that “It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong” (Poe 124). Montresor actually has the audacity to claim that it would have been just as wrong for him to allow Fortunato to escape punishment. This irrational line of thought had been created by the aristocracy. It places such emphasis on honor, that it slowly creates a class of noblemen who lose all of their noble qualities. Montresor’s words clearly show how deeply he has been affected by the system, “I must not only punish but punish with impunity” (Poe 123). The aristocracy managed to not only unlock the entire potential of his dark human nature and enable him to do terrible things, but it also taught him that such acts were necessary and noble. The noble façade he creates for his own story doesn’t exist.
This unique point of view allows the reader to actually enter the mind of Montresor as he relives the events. The reader is able to clearly witness that Montresor has only cruel and vicious thoughts as he lure Fortunato to his death. Montresor’s dark nature is obvious through the ways that he secretly taunts Fortunato as they moved towards the Amontillado. The words of Montresor reveal a person who is truly cruel inside. When Fortunato asks about his family seal of arms, he proudly declares that it is “A huge human foot d’or, in a field azure; the foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs are imbedded in the heel” (Poe 126). He loves the sense of irony in Fortunato bringing up the coat of arms, since he planned to carry out this “noble” action. The cruel nature of Montresor is visible through his actions. There is a large amount of nitre growing freely inside the tomb, and it was having an adverse effect on Fortunado. He has a constant cough, and he has trouble keeping up with Montresor. The benefit of the first person perspective is that it allows the reader to understand Montresor’s thought process as he plans these terrible actions. It is possible to see just how cold-hearted Montresor is. Maintaining their fake friendship was a tool used by Montresor. He constantly asks if Fortunato would like to turn back, because he enjoys the satisfaction of Fortunato willingly walking to what would become his tomb. It is disguised as the concern of a friend though, granting him an added sense of satisfaction through the irony that he achieves. Montresor also displays his arrogance through the manipulative nature of his actions. He obviously views himself as superior to those around him. This story was written in the first person point of view, because it allows the reader to actually enter the mind of Montresor and understand his true motives. The servants are viewed as weak and dumb. He shows blatant contempt for his workers by tricking them. “These orders were sufficient, I well knew, to insure their immediate disappearance, one and all, as soon as my back was turn,” Montresor recalls (Poe 125). He takes great pleasure in outsmarting his servants and clearly shows that he believes himself to be much better than them. It is unnecessary for him to create an elaborate lie to force their departure. He could have simply given them the night off. Instead, he tricks them into skipping work, because it granted him a feeling of superiority. The very murder of Fortunato is perhaps the darkest scene in the novel, and it shows the manipulative nature of Montresor. He has coldly and carefully planned out how to trick Fortunato into walking to his own grave. This obsession has dominated his life for some time. The sheer amount of thought and planning shows the cruelty of Montresor’s mind.
This cruelty is unleased from the dark and sinister side of Montresor’s personality. The aristocratic system helped unlock this inner cruelty that exists in Montresor. Montresor grew up in a society where he viewed the stunning power of the noble elite. He views himself as a just man who can not be charged for his actions. There is no sense of guilt, fear, or responsibility in his retelling of the tale. The depiction of the events is one of a detached and cold-hearted person who did not show any concern for human life. It is just a game to him. Such a cruel crime would have never occurred on a level where the law had to be taken into consideration. This arrogance and sense of power drives Montresor to become a corrupted man who fully uses the dark nature of his personality. Montresor is a truly cruel person. He takes great pleasure out of listening to the cries and struggles of Fortunato’s escape attempts, “The noise lasted for a several minutes, during which, that I might hearken to it with the more satisfaction, I ceased my labours and sat down upon the bones,” (Poe 127). The desperate struggles and cries of a dying man amuse him. These are not the thoughts of a truly noble man. His lack of respect for the law and his feelings of power allow him to fully explore and enjoy his own dark nature. Few people ever reach such a level of corruption that they can so freely harm other humans.
Edgar Allen Poe uses the first person perspective to display what he views as the natural flaws of a society that still has a class of noblemen. Montresor’s position as an aristocrat begins corruption of his mind, by justifying his obsession with revenge. The extent of his corruption is clear through his actions and words while he is leading Montresor to his death. Montresor’s character is an allegory used by Poe to express his views on the flaws of modern society. “The Cask of Amontillado” is Poe’s criticism of aristocracy and its ability to unlock the dark side of humans.