The Cask of Amontillado – Montresor’s Untrustworthiness and Mental Instability Essay Example

such punishment, seemingly attempting to gain sympathy from the person he is speaking with. Throughout the story, Montresor taunts Fortunado with the promise of Amontillado and even suggests finding Lushesi instead to verify its authenticity on multiple occasions.

In his quest for revenge, Montresor deliberately inflamed Fortunado's irritation by mentioning Luchesi as a potential authenticator of the wine, knowing that this would only increase Fortunado's desire to visit the tombs. This calculated move highlights Montresor's desperation to keep Fortunado interested in coming to the tombs and execute his plan of revenge. In the second-to-last sentence of the final paragraph, Montresor declares that "no mortal has disturbed them" for fifty years, attesting to the success of his grim design.

Montresor is referring to the tomb where he entombed Fortunado, as well as his ancestors' tomb. He claims it has been over fifty years since the incident, which could have made him forget what truly happened. He acknowledges that most people can't recall events accurately even after a year, let alone fifty years. Therefore, Montresor is an unreliable narrator due to his biased perspective and the considerable amount of time passed since the event.

It is evident in Edgar Allen Poe's story that Montresor's lack of remorse towards the harm he inflicted on Fortunado indicates his mental instability, making him an unreliable narrator.