"The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could; but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge."--Montresor, "The Cask of Amontillado"
Oh Poe, it's as if you are married to Halloween. A twisted kind of marriage; one where you can't quite figure out who is wearing the pants. Sometimes I think you crafted this holiday in an effort to promote the hauntings of your mind. Other times I see how All Hallows' Eve may have pushed you over the edge, inspiring you to use your post-high school vocabulary skills to give people nightmares. In this marriage, do you make each other better or do you make each other worse?
Americans love horror. We are obssessed with it. And Poe (who would be the first to tell you this) is the master of horror. He found ways of creating terror that the average guy just gets. In "The Cask of Amontillado", Montresor is motivated by an all-consuming sense of jealousy and rage. Not only does Fortunato have what Montresor once did and now does not, but he flaunts it openly, taunting Montresor every chance he gets. So, what does Montresor vow to do? Get revenge, of course. And what's more American than a good old-fashioned plot for revenge set in Parisian catacombs?
Explore the many woes of Poe here.
0 comments:
Post a Comment