Often times, readers are solely focused on the characters that make up a story. However, little time is spent trying to understand what motivates the characters of a story or rather what objects they use to fulfil their motives. In The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe and Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling, usually inanimate objects serve as the foundational means of understanding the fate of the main characters. The central objects that both stories revolve around are brought to life and deemed animate due to their ability to possess some form of power. When these objects are used for their “powers”, the lives of the characters become impacted, thus proving that objects should not be underestimated because they can change the course of human lives. Through an exploration of wine, Nitre, and the catacombs as seen in The Cask of Amontillado and wands, The Sorting Hat, and The Sorcerer’s Stone as seen in Harry …show more content…
The range by which the term “power” is defined is vast, although any person or object possessing the ability to control one’s mind can be defined as powerful, including alcohol. In The Cask of Amontillado, Fortunato’s love for wine becomes the reason for his demise. Although wine is usually an inanimate object, in this story by Edgar Allan Poe, Amontillado (wine) possess the power to tempt poor Fortunato time and time again, blinding him from a downward spiral that he is walking into, thereby making it “animate” as it controls Fortunato rather than him controlling the wine. Montresor says, “He had a weak point --this Fortunato…He prided himself on his