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Theme Of Pride In The Cask Of Amontillado

Decent Essays

Deadly Pride Edgar Allen Poe tells his macabre story “The Cask of Amontillado” through the eyes of a man so obsessed with family pride that he turns his back on acceptable society and allows himself to be swept away with his thoughts of revenge and murder. The reader watches as Montresor leads his victim, Fortunato, deeper into the catacombs of his family home to exact his murderous vengeance. However, it is not madness that led Montresor, a noble aristocrat, to murder, nor is it passionate love or hate. It is pride that led to Montresor’s murder of Fortunato, but not just Montresor’s pride in his family. A combination of Fortunato’s foolish self-pride and Montresor’s deadly pride in his family that lead to Fortunato’s untimely death. The central theme of Poe’s story is deadly pride, as represented through Fortunato’s actions, Montresor’s actions, and how, eventually, it is their pride that leads to their downfall. Fortunato, while he is the victim of Poe’s story, is not entirely blameless in his own murder. He insulted the Montresor family name, and while that does not justify murder, it is an example of his prideful nature. Throughout the story, he constantly proves himself to not only be prideful, but to be foolishly prideful in himself. To the point where he, after insulting Montresor’s name, still believes that he and Montresor are friends, and that Montresor would have no reason to hate him (Poe 4). He has a strong belief that he is important enough, wealthy enough,

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