Poe's Crucial Choice of Point of View in The Cask of Amontillado

Imagine Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" written from the perspective of that unnerving and mysterious bird or "The Tell-Tale Heart" told by the detectives. Surely this point of view would immediately dull these literary works, their horror and mystery perishing like an individual in a dark vacuum. Countless of Poe's creations thrive on the inner terror and evil of people (Reynolds 675). Like a person in a vacuum, dying horribly from lack of life-sustaining oxygen, Poe's stories would suffocate without this tangible dark side of human existence.

However, the desired single effect of a prose tale can be tremendously delicate, so Poe put much thought into how he should craft every element of his short stories, especially which point of view to use in each of his literary works (Poe, "The Importance of the Single Effect in a Prose Tale" 656-657). Typically, Poe chose first person point of view, employing several internal monologues through his narrators to peer inside the human mind and condition (Shute). For example, in "The Cask of Amontillado," Poe realized that the viewpoint must be that of Montresor, considering that had he chosen to tell his story through the victim, Fortunato, it would no doubt have lost its effective, memorable qualities. Without Montresor as narrator, this dark tale would possess no true clarity, would forfeit its chilling suspense, and would fail to offer the reader a valid glimpse into Montresor's icy and calculating mind.

Poe's Cultivation of Clarity Through Montresor

One of the most essential characteristics of a well-written story is clarity. Typically, no message or effect can be wholly and properly conveyed if the tale is nothing more than a bunch of words thrown together with little thought. Thus, the character which the story unfolds around must be able to contribute to this clarity. In the "Cask of Amontillado," Montresor is clearly deranged and twisted. However, Poe ensures that he is still competent enough to clearly relate the events of this fateful night (Gargano 667; Reynolds 674).

If, on the other hand, Poe had decided to compose "The Cask of Amontillado" from Fortunato's vantage point, this short story would be a wild swirl of chaos. First and foremost, it is imperative to realize that Fortunato is intoxicated throughout most of the tale. It is believed by many critics that Montresor deliberately waits until a time when Fortunato is drunk before putting his grotesque plan into action and luring Fortunato to the catacombs below his residence (Grantz). When the two men happen upon each other that carnival night, Montresor reveals that Fortunato "had been drinking much" (Poe, "The Cask of Amontillado" 473). Later on, Montresor describes how the other man is walking "unsteadily" (Poe, "The Cask of Amontillado" 475) and how Fortunato often needs to hold Montresor's arm to steady his reeling gait. Then, to worsen Fortunato's sluggishness, Montresor gives him more wine while they are walking in the catacombs (Poe, "The Cask of Amontillado" 475-476) under the pretext of helping his "friend" ward off the chilliness and dampness of the catacombs (Sweet).

Gradually, Fortunato's condition worsens. Eventually, his drunken stupor takes over his reasoning so much that he is completely puzzled by Montresor's trowel and stands "stupidly bewildered" when he reaches the back of the niche (Poe, "The Cask of Amontillado" 476). It is not until Montresor chains Fortunato to the cold, damp wall in the niche and then begins constructing the new wall to bury him alive that Fortunato's stupor starts to wear off (Poe, "The Cask of Amontillado" 477; Jacoby).

Poe's Use of Montresor to Develop Suspense

Furthermore, if Poe had chosen to unfold this ghastly tale through Fortunato, "The Cask of Amontillado" would have lost much of its suspense. Poe carefully crafted this short story to offer the reader a thick element of suspense from its beginning . . . suspense that relies heavily upon the inner thoughts and ruthless planning of Montresor. As Montresor laments "the thousand injuries of Fortunato" and reveals his consuming need for vengeance, the reader cannot help but wonder how this bitter man will redress Fortunato's offenses (Poe, "The Cask of Amontillado" 473; Reynolds 673). Oddly, Montresor never once names any of these offenses throughout the entire tale. Yet, they fiercely fuel his rage against Fortunato and wholly consume him with the need to kill noble Fortunato (Grantz).

In addition, Montresor uses Fortunato's character flaws to lure him to his death. In his essay for poedecoder.com, David Grantz explains that "Montresor exploits Fortunato's vanity concerning the connoisseurship of wine." Montresor's calculated plan ultimately hinges on this vanity and Fortunato's weakness for alcohol (Sweet). As a result, the suspense continues to mount throughout the story as the reader wonders what consequences Fortunato will have to face because of his shortcomings (Poe, "The Cask of Amontillado" 474; Gargano 667).

The tale's suspense finally climaxes when Montresor entombs the bewildered Fortunato alive behind a wall in the catacombs of the Montresors (Poe, "The Cask of Amontillado" 476-478). It is unmistakable that Fortunato never once suspects this horrifying scheme, as Montresor admits ". . . neither by word or deed had I given Fortunato cause to doubt my good-will" (Poe, "The Cask of Amontillado" 473). And once Fortunato realizes his fate, he is still clueless as to what could possibly possess Montresor to bury him alive (Jacoby). Consequently, Fortunato could not tell this tale without its suspense level diminishing greatly. Instead of a continual buildup of horror and suspense, which keeps "The Cask of Amontillado" flowing at an ever-quickening pace, Poe would merely have a tale with a surprise ending if Montresor did not relate the events of that night.

Poe's Exploration of the Soul of a Murderer Through Montresor

Finally, it appears that one of Poe's motives for creating "The Cask of Amontillado" is to offer a glimpse into the dark, mysterious, and hair-raising soul of a murderer. He uses the very thoughts of Montresor before and after Fortunato's death to try to explain why a man would commit such a grotesque act (Gargano 667-668; Reynolds 674-675) and to vividly show how even a "righteous" murder never ceases to haunt the killer with far-reaching guilt, even fifty years later (Sweets; Rocks). Since Fortunato has no inkling of Montresor's true nature and dies before the end of this tale (Poe, "The Cask of Amontillado" 478), these sinister realities could not be explored through Fortunato.

Throughout "The Cask of Amontillado," Fortunado is completely oblivious to the monster that is posing as his friend. Since Montresor never once made his inner hatred and ill-will towards Fortunato known, Fortunato never once detects Montresor's hypocrisy and manipulation as Montresor leads him to his death (Reynolds 674). Fortunato does not detect the irony in the majority of Montresor's words. He does not see anything abnormal about Montresor's greeting when they first meet that night (Poe, "The Cask of Amontillado" 474), nor does he detect the sheer hatred behind Montresor's usage of the word "friend" throughout the tale. He is even oblivious of how Montresor has learned to play him (Poe, "The Cask of Amontillado" 473; Reynolds 673), stringing him along with every mention of "Amontillado" and "Luchesi" (Poe, "The Cask of Amontillado" 474-475). Considering all these factors, Poe could not use Fortunato's point of view without losing this desired glimpse into the soul of a murderer.

Conclusion

There have been countless critics over the years since the days of Edgar Allan Poe that have dismissed his pure genius in creating such gripping, thrilling, and memorable tales. Some literary critics insist that he merely copied earlier Gothic styles, especially those of the German romantic writers (Charters and Charters 472). To counter this accusation, Poe contended: "If in many of my productions terror has been the thesis, I maintain that terror is not of Germany but of the soul" (quoted in Charters and Charters p. 472).

Furthermore, many critics of Poe often label his ingenuity complete madness or insanity (Gargano 665; Leibman). However, it is exceedingly improbable that an inept writer, let along a raving madman, could compose such a tale as "The Cask of Amontillado," in which every literary element is painstakingly balanced and in which no single word, description, or action is offered simply for show (Reynolds 673). It takes a brilliant and extraordinary mind to fully grasp the importance of proper and attention-grabbing usage of point of view and to know how to exploit it to thoroughly thrill and mesmerize the reader.

In the end, Poe's choice of Montresor's point of view, instead of Fortunato, demonstrates this author's genius. If Poe had unraveled "The Cask of Amontillado" around Fortunato, he would have surely lost a first-rate masterpiece. All in all, Fortunato could not ever bring the sinister air and the bone-chilling reality which Montresor breathes onto every page. Fortunato is simply far too intoxicated and oblivious to his impending doom throughout most of this tale and dies before its end to give "The Cask of Amontillado" the single effect Poe desires. Thus, only Montresor can smoothly cultivate and uphold Poe's desired level of clarity and suspense, while allowing the reader a glimpse into the darker recesses of the human mind and soul.

References:

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Grantz, David. "The Spectre in My Path" Poe's Doppelganger as Revealed in 'William Wilson,' 'The Cask of Amontillado,' and 'The Man of the Crowd.'" Poe Decoder. 29 Oct. 2008: http://www.poedecoder.com/essays/spectre/#Cask

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Rocks, James. E. "Marginalia: Conflict and Motive in 'The Cask of Amontillado.'" Poe Studies. 5.2 (December 1972): 50-51. Edgar Allan Poe Society of

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Shute, Sarah, gen. Ed. "The Pit and the Pendulum." KnowledgeNotes Student Guides. Cambridge: Proquest Information & Learning, 2002. Literature Online Chadwyck. Pennsylvania Highlands Community College Lib., Johnstown, PA. 9 Mar. 2005.

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