Obsession in The Tell-Tale Heart and The Cask of Amontillado :: Tell Tale Cask Comparison Compare Essays

Determination becomes obsession and then it becomes all that matters.-- Jeremy IrvinePoe presents the narrators of The Tell-Tale Heart and The Cask of Amontillado as devious, ghost characters. Both are overpowered by the need to consume the life of their victim. Though they use different strategies to carry out the murders in different ways, obsession is the cause force in both. It is this obsession that inspires them to design cunning strategies and carry out the executions. The obsession of Montresor in The Cask of Amontillado and of the narrator in The Tell-Tale Heart is obvious passim the stories. The narrator in The Tell-Tale Heart is actually obsessed with the old spells eye, rather than the old man himself. It is this obsession with the eye that drives him to commit the murder, despite his relatively total feelings toward the old man personally. This is why he is unable to harm the old man when the eye is concealed. His obsession with the eye is what controls h im and his actions. Without it in sight to enrage this obsession, he is unable to harm the old man. This also is why he must shine the lantern light upon only that eye. By leaving the rest of the old man in the dark, he in a sense de-humanizes the victim. His obsession intensifies and takes full control of his actions. He eliminates the old man from the equation and is able to charge him and fare the kill. Montresor in The Cask of Amontillado is similar to the narrator in The Tell-Tale Heart in that his obsession with consuming the soul of Fortunato influences his every action. However, it is with Fortunato himself that he is obsessed. He feeds off of Fortunatos pain, distant the narrator in The Tell-Tale Heart whos obsession is with destroying a menacing inanimate object. Montresors entire conspiracy is focused around making Fortunato suffer, and for him to know just who is cause this suffering. This is why he goes to such lengths to put together this intricate strat egy. It could have been so much easier to kill Fortunato in some easier, quicker way. Instead, he dedicates himself to torturing Fortunato. He creates a plan that leads Fortunato into the depths of the catacombs beneath his home, and kills him in an excruciating manner.