The narrator wanted to take revenge with impunity, also making sure that it would be recognized as revenge, otherwise, there would be no point in it. The retaliation could go unpunished if it was portrayed as an accident, but, in this case, Fortunato would not understand the meaning of the misfortune, which contradicts Montresor’s ideas. Therefore, he takes his friend to the basement, where no one will know about the crime, but at the same time makes sure that the commission of revenge is seen by Fortunato.
This passage shows us that the narrator belongs to a high class since he bought Italian wine largely at every opportunity, which not everyone can afford (Poe 3). By the phrase “like his countrymen” we understand that he is not Italian and generally looks at Italians with skepticism, as they are not such specialists as he is, except for Fortunato (Poe 3). Also, as he evaluates his friend’s insight in painting, it is clear that he considers himself better at this subject.
The narrator was not sincere from the very beginning and his words were intended to make him appear as friendly as possible, smiling on Fortunato’s face (Poe 3). When he was taking him directly into the basement, he switched from false friendliness to making efforts so that he could not be suspected of anything. Thus, he deliberately dissuaded his friend from going further, referring to the problems with his health, to make it look as if he was not the one interested in Fortunato going with him.
As the foot inflicts punishment on the snake that has done wrong and sunk its teeth into the heel, the coat of arms reflects revenge, which is the center topic of the entire story. Moreover, this very motif is also confirmed by the Montresors’ motto: “Nemo me impune lacessit,” which means that revenge should be avenged by any means (Poe 6).
Montresor told his servants not to leave the house, while he assured them that he “should not return until the morning,” being sure that they would succumb to the temptation and escape (Poe 5). This suggests that he knows human nature well and can use his words to manipulate others. Saying that “these orders were sufficient” he is so pleased as if he initially planned to get rid of the witnesses, which proves that everything was thought out from the very beginning (Poe 5).
The two things that Montresor and Fortunato have in common are their nobleness and their interest in wine, with Fortunato having a spouse and thus having a different life, however. Besides, he is Italian and has a different mentality. Montresor differs from Fortunato in being able to hide his true thoughts. Also, he has much more self-control – Fortunato cannot keep himself in hand from the thought of Amontillado, while Montresor can carry out terrible revenge in cold blood.
Montresor seems to be telling this private story to someone very close to him, also possibly being his countryman judging by how he talks about Italians. He is too proud to be repentant, but he suffers from his beliefs, which is seen in the moments of hesitation (Poe 9) and a stupor when Fortunato did not answer (Poe 10). Nevertheless, he talks about following the motto of the family as a heavy but noble burden, which allows assuming that he tells the story to his successor.
Work Cited
Poe, Edgar Allan. Wuthering Heights. Elegant Ebooks, 1849. Ibiblio, Web.