Myles Gernale

4/5/2019

The short story, “Cask of Amontillado” (1846) by Edgar Allan Poe, an American writer known

for his poets and short stories of macabre and mystery and is also considered a central figure of

Romanticism in the United States. In analyzing the short story using the Marxist approach, the

Cask of Amontillado is a story about conflict of social power where a man named Montresor born

in the upper class planned to have his revenge to a man on the lower class named Fortunato due to

an unknown painful insult dealt to him, this represents the conflict between the upper and lower

class. The upper class will fight the lower class in order to maintain their power and position and

to ensure the lower class will never achieve the upper position. If the lower class achieves the

upper class, the upper class will fall and lose its power. We could also say that Montresor is an

aristocrat while Fortunato is a bourgeoisie.

According to Poe’s life, The Cask of Amontillado’s main inspiration could have been his time at

the University of Virginia in December 15, 1826. Poe studied at that university, where he excelled

in his grades, but since Poe was born poor due to the hardships in his family, he was known inferior

by his classmates which were nobles of Richmond.

The story first introduces to us a man in the higher class named Montresor who said that Fortunato,

a man from lower class, had “hurt him a thousand times and he had suffered quietly”. Montresor

“promised himself that he would make Fortunato pay for this – that he would have his revenge”.

Indicating that Fortunato had dealt a terrible insult to him, although the insult is never known in

the story. But a text shows that the insult could be Fortunato “hurting” Montresor’s pride.

Montresor did mention to Fortunato, “You are rich, respected, admired, beloved; you are happy,
as once I was”, this means Montresor used to be rich, respected, admired, beloved and happy or

powerful in his social position but all of those glories have died. Meanwhile, Fortunato in the lower

class is moving up within his social class and is becoming powerful that he is overpowering

Montresor in terms of power. Then Montresor sees Fortunato’s growing power from the lower

class as an “insult” to his pride as a noble. Because Montresor does not appreciate the idea of a

man from the lower class taking over the upper class and since Montresor’s pride as member of a

noble family is dying, he had no other option but to take out Fortunato with his plan to preserve

his pride and deny the lower class’ rising of status.

Montresor did have a coat of arms of his family which shows a human foot stomping a snake and

the snake’s fangs are embedded on the heel of the foot. And the motto in it says in Latin, “Nemo

me impune lacessit”. In English it means, “No one attacks me with impunity”, no one punishes me

and gets away with it. Montresor could have followed it as a family tradition which could be one

of his reasons to have his revenge on Fortunato.

One thing that’s missing in the story is the insult “hurt him a thousand times and he had suffered

quietly”. The insult itself was never revealed in the story. This made some readers think that

Montresor is an insane man and Fortunato is a seemingly innocent person that he doesn’t deserve

to be killed because the insult is not shown/named that there is no reason for Montresor to go as

far as to kill Fortunato without guilt. Or Poe could have meant it unnamed for the readers to

discover for themselves the true meaning of Montresor’s motivation.

In the Marxist perspective, such situation exists in society in the general idea, like the one Poe

have experienced during his time at University of Virginia. The short story itself, although maybe

dramatized, presents the experience from Poe the importance of the symbol of nobility to the upper

classes and how they will preserve their pride. Example is the current barrier between the rich and
the poor in modern society that we see outside. Like, the poor generally does not have the access

to education and health because they do not have the resources to register to a school and a hospital

due to the system enacted by the government. And the general example of Karl Marx where social

conflict is the cause of the capitalists oppressing the working class by giving them less benefits

such as lower wages should the working-class demand and fight for the resources. Meanwhile the

capitalists get to control the resources and deny the working class to achieve the resources.

Students, can take this review as a supplement to another future Marxist analysis of Cask of

Amontillado, teachers can also take this review as a way to lecture students on how the short story

is analyzed by the Marxist approach, sociologists could take this as a framework of how far humans

can go to preserve their pride and power and what are the reasons/motivations for such actions,

and government officials can take the work as a reminder of what should we do to prevent

bloodshed during the conflict of powers within the government and society.

The short story is recommended. It gives a glimpse of what the upper classes do to show and

preserve their pride and how do they treat the lower classes especially that it’s a manifestation of

Poe’s personal experience with the nobles of Richmond during his time at the University of

Virginia.
Source/s Cited:

Class Conflict in Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado". (2018, September 21). Retrieved from

https://www.creativewritingnepal.com/class-conflict-in-poes-the-cask-of-amontillado/

Marxist Criticism and Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado". (2013, March 04). Retrieved from

https://blogs.setonhill.edu/mas3222/2013/03/03/marxist-criticism-and-poes-the-cask-of-

amontillado/

Gómez, V. R., & Gómez, V. R. (n.d.). Class struggle in The Cask of Amontillado. Retrieved from

https://www.academia.edu/5921889/Class_struggle_in_The_Cask_of_Amontillado

In "The Cask of Amontillado", what is the significance of Montressor's family coat of arms and motto?

(n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/what-significance-montressors-family-

coat-arms-60947

Critical Analysis Research paper - Barbieux Writing Portfolio. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://sites.google.com/site/barbieuxwritingportfolio/critical-analysis-research-paper