Ryan Reece ENC 1102 Ms.

Jacobs 4/10/14 A look into Poes psyche with the use of Freudian Criticism

Reading a story with unanswered questions always leads the reader to question the mysteries of the tale. Edgar Allan Poe has become famous for this. When reading The Cask of Amontillado the question is pondered, what did Fortunato do that was so disgraceful to deserve such a humiliating death? Montrestor only states, Fortunato has caused him injury and he must have his revenge. So the theme is always considered to be retaliation or revenge. Looking at Poes The Cask of Amontillado using Freudian Criticism provides a broader perspective, filling empty spaces in the characters lives and promoting a possible insight on the theme. When discovering a theme from one of Poes stories it is fairly easy to determine what the obvious theme is. For instance in The Cask of Amontillado the theme is so obvious in fact that the narrator mentions it in the first sentence of the story, The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as best as I could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge (174). This particular statement is the reason Poes theme is so obvious, or is it? Although the reader assumes that revenge is the main theme, the reason for revenge is a mystery. The best part of Poes story isnt the theme itself; its why is this theme present? According to Josheph F. Kishel, Poe uses subtle hints and clues in the story mentioning

religion, and family and finances, which allows us to imagine what Montresors motive for murder (30). With that being said Poe has left his stories open for interpretation, letting the reader fill in the blank spaces on their own. The biggest question posed in The Cask of Amontillado is Montresors motive for murder. The story leaves it entirely a mystery and leaves everyone clueless. Elena V. Baraban has a few words to share that could shed some light on Montresors dark plan. She states, Hes a Fortunato, someone who becomes rich and prominent by chance (Fortune), rather than through personal virtue (33). Using this information, it can be concluded that Montresor was indeed insulted by Fortunato and couldnt stand for that because of his on high social standing. Baraban also mentions Montresors family Motto Nemo me impune lacessit (No one insults me with impunity) (35). Montresor is bound by his family motto and ancestry to not let Fortunatos deed go unpunished. The background behind both Montresor and Fortunato is never addressed, but using Freudian Criticism, which claims to use the authors psyche to fill in the blanks, it should be easy to draw a conclusion. As mentioned before, Fortunato obviously came from money and has been posing for the position of high social standing just because of his large purse. Now Montresor, on the other hand, came from a powerful aristocratic family with honor and wealth. The carnival that is taking place in the story is in Montresors courtyard. What can be determined about Fortunato is that he is almost out of place because the only thing he has going for him is his wealth, and he uses his wealth to pump up his social statues while also claiming to be a wine connoisseur. Poe fills his story with endless amounts of irony. Along the way, in the Montresors catacombs, drunken Fortunato is coughing continuously due to the damp

cellar air and the nitre crusted walls. Instead of showing little or no interest, ironically Montresor offers Fortunato a bottle of Medcor, an ailment for his discomfort. Montresor even goes as far to make a toast to Fortunato, saying, I drink to your long life (175). Only Montresor knows Fortunatos true fate. How Fortunatos character is written is an interesting choice by Poe. He has the money, the high social background and a vast knowledge of exquisite wines but lacks any knowledge of gemmary or paintings. Montresor finds this alone to be insulting but yet to a point still fears Fortunato. Poe drops continuous hints throughout the story mentioning Montresors amusment with Fortunatos attire. Fortunato is wearing a Jesters costume, including the hat with the bells. This would explain that Poe wants Fortunato play his part, as the fool. The theme of the story is normally determined as revenge, which is a common misconception. The theme is actually that revenge never goes unpunished or that revenge is never as sweet as it seems. Even if the battle seems won, its never truly over. Toward the end of the story Poe creates a dramatic moment when Montresor pauses before placing the last stone for Fortunatos new resting place. John Gruesser argues that by responding with the words, Yes. For the love of God! and going through with the murder, Montresor boldly defies God, damning himself for all time. Now Montresor must live with his newly acquired burden for the next 50 years. Using Fruedian theory it can be determined that Montresor was not insulted by Fortunato from some minute dispute but something far more important than a silly argument. Nowhere in the story is it ever stated that Montresor has a wife or even a love interest of any kind. Why would someone who has all the influence, prestige and money

he could ever need, not have a wife? The reason behind this mystery is because Montresor was in fact a homosexual and wants only to be with Fortunato. In the story, a quote directly from Montresor himself adds some insight You are happy, as I once was (176) Stating that he once lived a happy life with his love interest which was most likely a man. Some time during the carnival season Montresor and Fortunato were both drunk and enjoying the festivities. The story also state that Montresor sends all of his live in help away for the night and with out question they all go and enjoy the carnival. If it is that simple for Montresor to have the house to himself then whats to say he doesnt do that often so he can have the house to himself with his lover? Everything took a turn for the worst when Montresor made a sexual advance on Fortunato, which didnt go over very well. Fortunato was disgusted and made claims of having a wife (as stated on the 179th page of the story) and having no interest in these actions for they are a sin against god. Then Fortunato storms off to tell the world of Montresors newly discovered secret but before he can say a word he becomes too drunk and passes out until the next day. Montresor couldnt sleep all night thinking of what Fortunato would do to him: public humiliation, black mail or even extortion. He could only think of the impact that kind of information would have on his life. His family name would be ruined forever and he could think of one way to fix his problem. So, worried, Montresor hatches the diabolical plan to humiliate Fortunato before he gets the chance to return the favor. In conclusion, Poes Cask of Amontillado, just like all his stories, is open for interpretation. Using Freudian theory it was easily determined that Poes story was influenced by his psyche, and in turn, also his characters. The characters have missing fragments of their lives in the story and with Freudian theory the gaps could be filled.

The theme was represented throughout the story using repetition of certain elements. All together the story has new meaning when looking through a Freudian looking glass.

Works Cited Baraban, Elena. The Motive for Murder in The Cask of Amontillado. Rocky Mountain Review. (2004) Colorado: Ed. Web. 27 March. 2014 Gruessuer, John. Poes, THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO. Continuum. (1990) New York: John Milton: Poetry and Major Prose. Ed. Web. 27 Mar. 2014. Kishel, Joseph F. Poes The Cask of Amontillado Explicator pg. 30. Cornell University. 2008. Web. 7 April, 2014. Poe, Edgar Allen, The Cask of Amontillado. THE NORTON INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE (2013): 164-170. W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. Print. St. John Stott, Graham. Poes THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO. Explicator 62.2 (2004): 85-88. Literary Reference Center Plus. Web. 27 Mar. 2014.