Is Montresor a Reliable Narrator In”The Cask of Amontillado”

Montresor is both the principal character and narrator im Edgar Allan Poe’s short story The Cask of Amontillado (1846). He relates how he has for too long borne quietly with the many injuries caused by Fortunato, but once having insulted him, Montresor felt unable to tolerate it any further and vowed to secretly plot retribution. Montresor reveals certain aspects of his personality: unreliability as narrator; the absence of sympathy; and confessing and bragging about his actions and desire for retribution. These aspects are reflective not just of who Montresor is as a person, they are by extension representative of the negative qualities of human nature that all people share.

It is unclear if he truly murdered Fortunato or if he is lying about such incident; nonetheless, Montresor is an unreliable narrator who cannot be trusted. If he truly took his life, Montresor for all obvious reasons cannot be trusted. And if he has lied, especially about such a serious matter, he cannot be trusted. Moreover, he never substantiates his claims about how Fortunato allegedly offended him, because he never specifies what exactly occurred between them. The story begins precisely by mentioning such adverse feelings Montresor holds towards Fortunato: “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge.” Nonetheless, Montresor never mentions what these offenses are. It could have been a petty argument, a simple misunderstanding, or perhaps something Fortunato said or did which Montresor misunderstood to be an insult. Whatever may have been the case, the reader is never told, hence it remains a mystery. Nonetheless, in Montresor’s opinion, these insults and injuries were serious enough to avenge himself for it, even to the point of plotting to kill Fortunato.

The total absence of sympathy is evident. He is full of bitterness, resentment, a determined desire for retribution. He further speaks very calmly about his actions, feeling truly justified for it. The absence of sympathy is further illustrated by him serving as the embodiment of human nature’s desire to seek retribution for offences received or for any harm done. As readers observe the negative qualities of Montresor, they can observe such in themselves as well. His desire for retribution eliminates any room for sympathy because he has reached a point wherein he no longer feels it possible to forgive Fortunato or try talking about the issue to attempt resolving the problem. He has reached a point wherein he will even consider attempt killing Fortunato. It is unclear whether he actually killed Fortunato or if he is merely lying, imagining it, wishing he could do so. However, the mere fact he gives such an issue any consideration and him speaking rather serenely about such is indicative of the absence of any sympathy but instead a cold, dark heart, especially considering he feels absolutely no remorse for what he has done fifty years later. The story ends with a Latin phrase meaning: may he rest in peace, which in the case of Montresor, is not a sincere hope or prayer but instead a sarcastic comment.

Readers can relate to Montresor in several respects. Everyone has at some point in life held a desire for revenge; everyone knows someone who has caused some harm even though the one responsible for such may not have been aware nor have intended to offend nor harm anyone. Readers can further relate because he successfully evading any consequences for his actions for over fifty years. Readers can relate not because they have committed heinous crimes, but because everybody has some “dark secret” that nobody knows about, except for a handful of individuals one believes to be trustworthy. In other words, readers can relate to Montresor because his negative qualities are a reflection of human nature; consequently, every reader will be able to relate to him in some way or another. He thus represents all evil aspects of humanity.

Montresor brags about his actions, confessing everything very calmly and openly. It is not necessary to debate whether Montresor confesses or brags because he is actually doing both: he confesses his actions in order to brag about them. This is a clear manifestation of pride, vanity and cynicism, because he takes pride and pleasure in everything. He talks openly about his actions very calmly, because he feels justified for it. His desire for retribution has blinded him, making him overlook any moral restrictions as he thinks and feels what he has done is truly just and necessary hence he feels no need to feel remorse. For Montresor, revenge was the only option, and as one source relates: “It must be a perfect revenge, one in which Fortunato will know fully what is happening to him and in which Montresor will be forever undetected” (The Cask of Amontillado Summary). And as another source relates, Montresor is “a cold and ruthless killer [who] not only enjoys killing, but also thinks it’s necessary” (Montresor Character Analysis). This serves to illustrate how resentment can take a hold of an individual, making him lose the capacity to think rationally and ethically, as the individual desires to seek retribution at any and all costs, even to the point of committing heinous crimes in many cases. Such refusal to forgive or to attempt to resolve the problem darkens the heart of the individual.

As mentioned earlier, these aspects of Montresor are representative not only of his personality specifically but also of human nature. Montresor shows himself to be quick-tempered, vengeful, unreliable in his narrative, unsympathetic, and proud for confessing his acts only to brag of them. And as mentioned earlier, readers will be able to relate to him in various regards because he represents everything that is wrong with humanity.

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