The Core of Darkness In "The Cask of Amontillado," Edgar Allen Poe uses the character of Mentors to show how letting anger and resentment fester over time leads to tragedy. Mentors, who is careful and calculating, vows to take revenge on Fortunate, who has injured him somehow over a long period of time. He states that he will be avenged "at length," meaning that he has carefully planned out his tactics (Poe 61).
"Furthermore, Mentors vows to "punish with impunity," and committing his crime in the toccatas more or less ensures his success (Poe 61).Secondly, Mentor's festering resentment has possibly caused him mental instability. He wildly echoes Fortune's screams as he builds the wall in the catacombs (Poe 67). Then as Fortunate, chained to the wall, finally falls silent, Mentors appears to hesitate, stating that his "heart grew sick," but in the end places the last brick in the wall, indicating that he is comfortable with his act of murder (Poe 68). Finally, though Poe never states clearly hat Fortunate did to Mentors, he does indicate that Mentors is unhappy, which contributes to his decision to kill Fortunate.
As they walk through the catacombs, Mentors states at one point that Fortunate is happy, as he once was (Poe 64). He then indicates that the Mentors were once a "great and numerous family' (Poe 64). In conclusion, Poe reaches into the depths of the human mind to show what heinous acts people are capable of when pushed to extremes; If Mentors had not let his anger fester over time, It Is possible that he may have been able to find another, peaceful way to resolve his conflict with Fortunate.Works Cited Poe, Edgar Allen. "The Cask of Amontillado.
" Prentice Hall Literature: Language and Literacy Grade 9. De. Grant Wiggins, et al. Boston: Pearson Learning Solutions, 2013. 61-68.
Pint. 11 Sentence Paragraph Sample By allspice acts people are capable of when pushed to extremes; if Mentors had not let his anger fester over time, it is possible that he may have been able to find another, 2013. 61-68. Print.
