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Compare And Contrast The Cask Of Amontillado And Man In The Well

Decent Essays

“The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allen Poe and “Man in the Well” by Ira Sher are two short stories that are alike in many ways as well as different. Both stories share the theme of confinement which is central to the stories and a trapped victim who is tricked many times. Along with their similarities, the short stories also have differences such as the mindset of the perpetrator and the social classes within which the stories are set. To begin with, “The Cask of Amontillado” is a story of revenge in which Montresor, the protagonist, retaliates to the “1000 injuries of Fortunato” (Poe 1) that he had bore; by meticulously planning the murder of his foe. Montresor seeks to avenge the insults made to his ancestral family name by Fortunato. …show more content…

Besides there is Luchresi”(Poe 5), He has the intention of luring Fortunato further and further into the vaults, using reverse psychology. On the contrary, the perpetrators in “The Man in The Well” do not have any intentions to cause harm at all they simply pursue their temporary interest in the man by teasing him. The naivety of these kids and their undetermined intentions of what to do with the man lead to the dangers that he faces in the ending of this story. The Children’s ultimate decision to leave the man in the well, although cruel and inhumane, is not seen as so by the children. This is because they are unfamiliar with the consequences of their actions. Although the stories may be different, the central themes of the two stories are very alike. The story of “The Man In the Well” is about the confinement of a mysterious and unidentified man who is left in dire situations by a group of young children that come across him. In the story, the man cries “God, get me out of here. I’ve been here for days”(Sher 1). He is physically confined to the well and is unable to get out so he has to beg for help. This keeps him lower in authority than the children. Similarly, “The Cask of Amontillado” also revolves around the theme of confinement because Montresor’s revenge plan involves confining Fortunato in the underground catacombs in a state of intoxication and leaving him there to die. Fortunato’s end is a direct result of him being

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