Today we discussed Poe’s dark tale, “A Cask of Amontillado.” The men were especially interested in the idea of being walled-up (imprisoned) as a sadistic form of punishment totally out of proportion to the original (possibly imaginary) “insult.”
Of the protagonist Montresor, Mr. Fitzgerald wrote, “he reminds me of some DC and Baltimore killers a few of us here grew up with. They too were slick killers, and some of them were mad, but they were some smooth operators. My wife and I usually read these stories together over the phone. When we got to the third page of this one, she took flight. She didn’t want to hear any more of it and she said if I continue to read it to her she’d hang up the damn phone. She’s afraid of Mr. Edgar Allan Poe.”
Mr. Doyle wrote: “I can see where someone might kill someone then conceal the body and crime in this way, but the unspoken reality – Fortunato was buried alive. This is not just revenge, but utterly sadistic! ….”
Mr. Simpson wrote: “This is a morbid yet fascinating tale of murder….. Revenge is a powerful motivating force in some men. I know this personally from experience. But the method of this particular character of walling up his victim is exceptionally cruel.”
Next week: Kafka!
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