english 112 composition

Question

excuse me, could you help me with this question about "the cask of amontillado":

 

Montresor says that Fortunato insulted him but never describes in detail what Fortunato did. What do you think Fortunato did to deserve being bricked up in the tunnel?

 

Thanks and have a good day.

Answer 1

During this time period, this “insult” that was going to be punishable by death could have been something extremely insignificant. It could also have been committed upon on one of Montresor’a family members for all we know, and he is simply doing his part to keep his family’s dignity in tact. Either way you slice it, that’s the brilliance of Poe. The mystery that surrounds the purpose for this horrific act just adds one more layer to the complexity of the story.