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Comparing The Cask Of Amontillado And The Yellow Wallpaper

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The questions of inner thought and understanding the are ones that we are constantly perturbed by. Stories with a character that seem to be ‘mad’ garner more attention and study than those with characters that seem to be ‘flat.’ This is reflected in the two short stories that we analyze today, “The Cask of Amontillado,” by Edgar Allen Poe and “The Yellow Wallpaper,” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Both stories discuss the idea of mortality among the mad. In “The Cask of Amontillado,” madness is seen as trivial, simply a means to revenge for a character scorned, similar to in “The Yellow Wallpaper.” In “The Yellow Wallpaper,” the main character’s repressed feelings, after being thought to being of little value, lead to her inevitable descent into madness. …show more content…

His anger at Fortunato’s actions towards him peaks when insulted, represented when he decided “At length {he} would be avenged” (14). The conflict is resolved by the main characters madness- his ideas, though completely insane, became integral to defeat his enemy when he used them to concoct a scheme that would rid him of Fortunato, the source of his suffering and ridicule, forever. His retribution shows how he was actually ill minded, especially with his lack of caring. When he finishes the murder, any semblance of guilt was quickly eradicated with the statement “My heart grew sick- on account of the dampness of the catacombs.” (20) Only the mad feel no guilt for the sick deeds that they’ve done, but Montresor’s attitude in the matter shows how trivial the matter of his insaneness was, simply a way to end his

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Within “A Poison Tree” it states, “I was angry with my foe: I told it not, my wrath did grow.” This shows he hates his foe and since they proceeded with not talking about it the situation grew bigger. In the story “The Cask of Amontillado” Montresor hated Fortunato with so much of himself he “began vigorously to wall up the entrance of the niche.” This meant after tricking him into the vault he started to conceal the exit blocking him in there for life. He never stated he had a problem with how Fortunato was treating him.

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Together the themes of manipulation and mental illness will trigger a series of events that change their lives. In “The Yellow Wallpaper” the protagonist becomes increasingly obsessed with the yellow wallpaper in her bedroom and seclusion from human contact. This was a cure that her husband John prescribed that proved detrimental to her mental health. As she spends more time alone in the room, she becomes fixated on the patterns and images, slowly becoming convinced there is a woman behind the wall that is trapped and that she must free, "The front pattern does move—and no wonder!

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He wants to seek justice for how Fortunato has wronged him. He maintains this goal as he wants to “not only punish but punish with impunity” (Poe, 1). From Montresor’s point of view, he must enforce revenge on Fortunato, as it is what he believes is right. Ensuring that he wants to “punish with impunity” indicates his relentless pursuit of vengeance and how he must ensure that he faces no consequences for his actions. This way, Montresor reveals his underlying arrogance and belief in his superiority.

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Insanity is a deranged state of the mind. Not everyone has the same experiences nor the same symptoms which lead to their mental disorder. In her story “The Yellow Wallpaper,” Charlotte Perkins Gilman presents a peculiar case of insanity. The main character is put on bed rest to overcome her temporary nervous depression. However, while being stuck inside the room, the unreliable narrator increasingly becomes more and more symptomatic.

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Since her husband, a physician of high standard, has prescribed a "rest cure" for her nervous condition, the protagonist is forced to suppress her creative urges and conform to societal expectations of a submissive and passive wife who is to remain still in a room with “the yellow wallpaper.” This suppression ultimately leads to her descent into madness as she struggles to reconcile her own desires with the expectations placed upon her. While the lady narrates the entire story, it is interesting to note that she is not in control of her own life and decisions. Rather, she is a victim of societal norms and gender roles that restrict her agency and

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The main characters’ fall into madness is reasonable considering the treatment of the people around them. In “The Yellow Wallpaper,” the protagonist faces the fragile treatment of her peers. Her husband, his

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Is Montresor just a selfish evil genius fueled with revenge, or a good samaritan who wants to give the people the vengeance they deserve? It’s very clear to see why Montresor is the ultimate character of revenge; Montresor indicates that he is going to kill Fortunato, just for the sake of revenge, as seen in this quote, “… He [Fortunato] ventured upon insult, I [Montresor] vowed revenge” (Poe 61). The whole story is based upon the concept of revenge.

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The Yellow Wallpaper Literary Analysis Essay Identity is key to the one who seizes it. In “The Yellow Wallpaper”, the narrator has an identity that the author demonstrates. The narrator has an internal battle within herself, that may express depression or a severe mental illness. The narrator shows identity from her actions, reactions, thoughts, and expectations.

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The story “The Yellow Wallpaper” is a portrayal of a woman’s descent into madness and how the society around her contributes to her illness. As a matter of fact, the story was inspired and written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s own personal experience. Gilman’s use of a first person point of view and tone allows the reader to experience and understand the narrator's actions and situation. The narrator’s tone also plays a role in establishing her character and the theme through the paragraph structure, her thoughts and expressions and finally her ironic expressions. To begin with, the narrator's tone helps establish character through her paragraph structure within the story.

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To explain, Montresor was insulted by Fortunato, the resolution to this conflict should have been as simple as confronting Fortunato with his hurt feelings. Instead, Montresor decides “[he] would be avenged” (Poe 543). Because of the dramatic way Montresor decides to resolve the conflict between himself and his friend, his character is shifted towards an unruly one. Montresor has no regards for those around him, he has no insight to anyone but himself. As a result of the way he chooses to resolve conflicts, he allows the conflicts to take control of his every action.

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The way Montresor sought out his plan to destroy Fortunato makes the reader feel that Montresor possesses a conscience. How can one become a sociopath yet possess a conscience? It all begins with an insult. Montresor begins the narrating the story with “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured insult I vowed revenge” (Poe). Montresor tells the audience that he sustained as many injuries he could, but when Fortunato ridiculed him, he finally had enough and decided to put an end to his

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This shows that none of the members really care about the victims even if they are in their own families. Although some may think Montresor’s motive and remorse might prove that he is more evil, they are wrong. Montresor’s motive is that Fortunato insulted him one time so that means he must get revenge. However, as he is begging to brick him up in a wall and finds that Fortunato is most likely dead, he then feels the tiniest bit of remorse. He then acted as if it was only the dampness as he states, “My heart grew sick—on account of the dampness of the catacombs” (Poe 64).

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The story “The Yellow Wallpaper” written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman in 1892 shows mental illness through the narrator first hand. The theme in this story is going insane verses loneliness as well as being trapped. These themes are shown through the main character (the narrator of the story) as she works through her own mind, life, and surroundings. First, the theme of the woman’s state of mind is the main focus in this story.

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The act is not purely performed out of revenge, but subconsciously as a way to move past Montresor’s weaknesses. This does not play out for Montresor, because even fifty years after the incident, his account of the event in question is highly detailed. The murder has not left his mind, and it is not bound

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The short story, The Yellow Wallpaper, written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, is a brilliant piece of fictional literature. The tale involves a mentally ill woman who is kept in a hideous, yellow room under the orders of her husband, John, who is a physician. The ill woman is conflicted due to the fact that the horrifying yellow wallpaper in the room is trapping a woman who she must help escape, but the sick woman is aware that she must get better in order to leave the terrifying, yellow room. The setting and personification applied in the short story, The Yellow Wallpaper, allows readers to develop an understanding of the sickness of the main character faces.

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