A Comparison of the Stories Tell Tale Heart and The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe
During his lifetime, Edgar Allen Poe wrote a number of short stories. In many of his works, such as "Tell Tale Heart" and "The Cask of Amontillado," many similarities can be drawn. In further analysis of both of these stories, they prove to be comparable through the narrative, psychology, and mood of the stories.
The narrators in both works of literature prove to be similar in many ways. In Tell Tale Heart we get the sense that the narrator is a possible psychopath. He has no motive for the killing of the old man; just the sight of his vulture eye he cannot stand. Also, the way he repeats himself frequently in the story leads the reader to believe he may not be all there.
In The Cask of Amontillado the narrator can also be considered a psychopath by the way he plays mind games with his victim. Montressor makes a statement to his friend that they should return home because his "health is precious." This bit of conversation is ironic because Montressor does not really want to protect Fortunato's health, but indeed to kill him. Both of the narrators in the stories are proud of their murders and brag about them throughout the story.
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In addition, the psychology in both stories was also alike. In both works the killings of the victims were delayed. Both murderers waited until the perfect time to kill their victims. That was when they were in an alternate state of mind; not able to physically fight back. In Tell Tale Heart the old man was sleeping and in The Cask of Amontillado Fortunado was too drunk to fight back. Another example of how the psychology in the story was the same is how both killers took every precaution to hide the dead bodies so that they wouldnt get caught. Both ways of hiding the bodies were similar and the psychology behind it was the same too.
The mood in both the works of literature have proven to be the same in many ways. They together show a great deal of horror and suspense. Tell Tale Heart keeps you at the edge of your seat when the old man awakes in his sleep and the narrator is prolonging the killing until the man falls back asleep. The cask of amontillado Fortunato says, "I shall not die of a cough," Montressor replies, "True," because he knows that Fortunato will in fact die from dehydration and starvation in the crypt.
This provides suspense for the reader because now they are sure that Montressor is going to follow through with his revenge. The mood of both these stories can also be considered horrid. Montressor and the narrator in Tell Tale Heart kill their victims in a bizarre, gruesome manner. Montressor has his victim starve and dehydrate to death chained behind a stonewall he built around him and the narrator in Tell Tale Heart suffocates his victim and chops off his limbs and then buries him in floorboards.
Both works of literature, Tell Tale Heart and The Cask of Amontillado written by Edgar Allen Poe have demonstrated Poes similarities in writing short stories. He uses many of the same techniques of writing in both such as narration, psychology and mood that makes his stories very compatible.
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A Comparison of the Stories Tell Tale Heart and The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe. (2023, May 30). Retrieved from https://phdessay.com/a-comparison-of-the-stories-tell-tale-heart-and-the-cask-of-amontillado-by-edgar-allan-poe/
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