trying to justify their belief that they should be God, or god-like. Their pride blinds them into

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1 Emily Allerton WRT 102 Essay 3 Rough Draft December Pride Goeth Before the Fall Since the dawn of time men have been prideful and corrupt, striving for power, and trying to justify their belief that they should be God, or god-like. Their pride blinds them into believing that this is possible, which can result in severe consequences. We can see examples of this pride in stories such as Poe s The Cask of Amontillado, O Conner s A Goodman Is Hard To Find, and the in the Fall of Satan and the Fall of Mankind and the emergence of original sin. On the surface, Poe and O Connor s stories might appear to have nothing in common, as the first is a renaissance tale of revenge, and the other a story of 1950 s family on summer vacation. However, if we look beyond the plot, and instead at the themes and characters, we see they are not too different after all. The main characters are, arguably, Poe s Montresor, a rich aristocrat, and O Connor s ex-convict known as The Misfit. They are prideful and see themselves as God or Jesus. They think they are blameless, and fit to do as they will, and deal out judgment on whomever they please. In the stories, The Cask of Amontillado, and A Goodman Is Hard To Find, we see man trying to replace God with themselves, a sin of Pride going back to the Fall of Satan and then of Man. The first story, The Cask of Amontillado, is gothic short story. It is a memoir of a murderer, telling the story of how he killed an acquaintance by the name of Fortunato. He achieves this by leading the drunken Fortunato down through the catacombs underneath his mansion, flattering Fortunato for his knowledge on wine to lure him down. Upon reaching the end of their journey, Montresor shackles Fortunato in the pit of the catacombs, and uses a trowel

2 to build a tomb around him, burying him alive. As to what Fortunato has done to offend Montresor, we never know. Montresor sees himself as God in this story, and later feels no remorse, as he feels everything he has done is justified. He is barely sensitive enough to have felt some passing queasiness during the performance of his deed. But, withal, what he did, he is convinced, was justified (White 554). Montresor has no regret. He feels that he has rightly judged, condemned and punished Fortunato, as only a deity can. Now, it is unclear as to what nationality Montresor is of, but it seems that he is not Italian as he leads people to believe. In the beginning of the story he alienates himself from the Italians, speaking of them with contempt. Also, his name is French in origin, his family motto is of a Scottish Clan, and his family crest is an image from the bible. Montresor is likely making up his family symbols in order to give hints to Fortunato a future. They also give us insights into what Montresor believes of himself. Looking at the symbols of Montresor s family, we see how he identifies himself with God. The family crest is the most interesting and obvious symbol. It depicts a foot in a blue field being struck by a snake; however the foot is crushing the snake. Of course, Montresor sees himself as the foot and Fortunato as the snake being crushed. He is saying that if someone tries to strike him they will be crushed. The snake is referencing to the devil, and the foot is referring to Jesus. The implicit reference to Genesis 3:15 has been noticed by critics, who have been quick to see Montresor as the serpent; however, if Montresor is God's agent (acting "for" his love), then he is not the serpent but the figure whose heel bruises the serpent's head--in the Christian tradition, Christ (Graham). So not only is Montresor telling people to watch out, but he is also saying that he is the perfect, blameless human, here to judge Fortunato s sins. His motto is Nemo Impune Lacessit (Poe), which means: No one provokes me without impunity. This reflects what Montresor said early in the story: I must not only

3 punish, but punish with impunity (Poe 2). This shows that Montresor believes that he must punish. In his eyes, he is not just going for revenge, but he is doing his solemn duty to judge, condemn, and deal out punishment as he sees fit. He is playing God, and he believes that is the way it should be. As Fortunato is being led down the tunnel, he is all the way being told these symbols by Montresor, almost as a warning, but Fortunato has no clue. Montresor often asks Fortunato if he wants to stop and go back, giving him a chance to get out in the way Jesus offers us an escape through him, but Fortunato denies it. Another symbol of Fortunato as the enemy is in his outfit. The man wore motley. He had on a tight-fitting parti-striped dress and his head was surmounted by the conical cap and bells (Cask of Amontillado). He is dressed like a fool, and his crown symbolizes nobility. The devil is known as the Prince of Fools, which connects to Fortunato s outfit. Montresor s pride is so extreme; he believes that he is God with the power to determine the fates of men. The next story we look at is A Good Man is Hard to Find. This type of story is known as a Southern Gothic, and was written by a Catholic author named Flannery O Connor in the 1950 s. In the story, a family of six goes on a summer vacation. The beginning of the story revolves around a proper old grandmother, but the character focus shifts when the family has a car accident and meets up with an escaped convict known as The Misfit and his two henchmen. The Misfit is another example of a character who puts himself in God s place. As Marian Montgomery writes: in A Good Man Is Hard to Find one is taken back to man s first disobedience, and to the first fruits of that disobedience as presented in the third and fourth chapters of Genesis (Montgomery). Again, we see the prideful character believing that he is the innocent one who is fit to judge life and death as he pleases. Throughout the story we can see foreshadowing symbols that the little vacationing family is going to meet their judge, and clearly,

4 The Misfit is that judge. It says in the story: They passed a large cotton field with five or six graves fenced in the middle of it, like a small island (O Connor 3). This is a foreshadowing that the family is going to meet their judger. When the family crashes and The Misfit and his henchmen drive over to them, we again see the symbolism of death. The car is described as a big black hearse like automobile The driver looked down with a steady expressionless gaze to where they were sitting, and didn t speak. (O Connor 7). The Misfit is described in an eerie, emotionless way, similar to how we would think of the Grim Reaper, or other legendary judgers of life and death. The Misfit is the judge, and he has brought a private hearse for the family. The Misfit openly acknowledges that he sees himself as being like Jesus. He says: It was the same case with Him as with me (O Connor). He compares himself to Jesus, believing that he is innocent and persecuted unfairly. Another thing that relates him to Jesus is seen in that he has two criminals with him, which is symbolic of Jesus on the cross, who had a thief on either side of him. The Misfit is also seen as being at home in the wilderness, where man is reliant on Faith in Self rather than Faith in God. I don t want no help, he tells the grandmother. I m doing all right by myself (O Connor 11). He believes he does not need God, because he puts himself in God s place. He does not need help from anyone but himself. Near the end of the story, the grandmother tries to reach out to him. She saw the man s twisted face twisted close to her own as if he were going to cry and she murmured, Why you re one of my babies. You re one of my own children! She reached out and touched him on the shoulder. The Misfit sprang back as if a snake had bitten him and shot her three times through the chest (O Connor). If The Misfit sees himself as Christ, then it would seem that the grandmother is becoming his Devil. He sees her as a snake, a symbol of the devil. The three shots to the chest are symbolic of the

5 Trinity, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Again, we see a character so prideful that he compares himself with the Son of God. To understand the significance of the symbolism that shows how unlike Jesus and God Montresor and The Misfit really are, we need to get a bit of background Christian theology by looking at The Fall of Man Kind and the entrance of Original Sin. The Columbia encyclopedia defines Original Sin as this:.in Christian theology, the sin of Adam, by which all humankind fell from divine grace (Original Sin). Long story short, God created the perfect place for Adam and Eve, and eventually the rest of humankind to live in, known as Eden. It was a Paradise, where they were instructed to be caretakers over the land and animals. They had one simple instruction: Do not eat the fruit from the Tree of Good and Evil, or you will die. Unfortunately for them, they had a little encounter with the Devil in the form of a serpent. He approached Eve, and enticed her by saying that if she ate the fruit that she would become like God, powerful and omniscient. This appealed to Adam and Eve, and no longer heeding God s warnings, they ate the Fruit. Although they did not immediately die in the physical world, this was the beginning of Original Sin and corruption in the world. It was the day they spiritually died and broke their ties with God. Because of their pride, they caused the beginning of corrupted nature in the world. To find out why Satan would want to go around tempting people like that, we have to go back a little further, to the Fall of Satan. The Bible isn t clear on when this event took place. We are only told that it happened before Satan tempted Adam and Eve. Originally, the Devil was one of the most beautiful and renowned angels that God had created. He was a cherub, and was known as the Morning Star, or Son of Dawn. However, Satan, or the Devil, decided since he was so wonderful he ought to be God, which ultimately led him and his followers (the angels who became demons), to be cast out of heaven, to eventually be condemned to hell at the end of time.

6 The bible says this about it in Ezekiel: Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth (Ezekiel 28:17a). Since then the Devil has made it his duty to tempt as many people as he could to believe the same thing he does. He wants them to believe that they should be God, so they will ultimately share the same fate he will have. The same thing happened with the Tower of Babel. The Tower of Babel is symbolic of man s pride and stands for misbegotten human enterprises (Bryant 305). The people believed that they could become as great as God. However, this is all a lie stemming from the Original Sin. The temptation of Pride is a failsafe plan the Devil has been using over and over again. Now we come back to The Cask Of Amontillado and look at it from a different angle and see Montresor is not like God. He is being deceived to think that he is, and that way he is becoming a pawn of the Devil, and shows far more attributes of him than of God. For instance, he is leading Fortunato down to meet his demise. He is doing this by tempting and flattering him. He is blinding Fortunato to the danger by using his own pride, which is just what the devil tried to do to Adam and Eve, and continues doing to the rest of humanity. Using a reversal of symbols, we could also look at Fortunato being the Christlike figure, being led to his death. It could be said that his hat is not like the crown of the Prince of Fools, or the Devil, but more related to Christ s crown of Thorns. The skulls lining Montresor s catacombs could be seen as symbolic of Golgotha, the hill where Jesus was crucified, which literally means: skull. By looking at these things we see that Montresor is really not like God at all, but more like the devil, leading his victim to meet his doom. The Misfit, like Montresor, is also wrong in his belief that he is God. In reality he is becoming more like the Devil, whose fate he will be sharing. The yellow shirt he is wearing is

7 symbolic the sun and of light ( Yellow def.). At least, the light that he once was, before he changed his ways, and his imagery became associated with death and darkness; the black hearse like car, and images of graves. This is very similar with how it is with the Devil, as he was once associated with light, being known as the Son of Dawn, or the Morning Star, or Angel of Light, but then became known as The Ruler of The Darkness. Another name for the Devil is the Greek word Apollyon, meaning Destroyer ( Apollyon def. 1). Since he knows he is eventually going to be cast into hell, he shares a similar sentiment with The Misfit. it s nothing for you to do but enjoy the few minutes you got left the best way you can by killing somebody or burning down his house or doing some other meanness to him. No pleasure but meanness (O Connor). Milton says this of the Devil, and The Misfit feels it as well: Save what is in destroying; other joy to me is lost (Milton 9). The Misfit and the Devil have nothing left to take pleasure in except by being cruel and destructive. Another stark contrast between the Misfit and Jesus is their view on children. Unlike Christ, who suffers little children to come unto him, The Misfit shuns John Wesley and June Star, for children make him nervous (O Bellamy). Where Jesus is seen as open and loving, The Misfit is cold and shoves children away. The Misfit, the devil s surrogate in a Good Man Is Hard to Fin, is at large in the world, enlarged toward the legendary by his nickname (Montgomery). However The Misfit was name is born out of fear, not out of love as the name of Jesus was. He is working for the Devil; he loves no one, and is loved by no one. He tells the grandmother that my daddy said I was a different breed of dog from my brothers and sisters (O Connor). This is another clue pointing to the fact he is more satanic nature than holy. As Michael O Bellamy says: dog is, of course God spelled backwards, and demonology is based on inverting the sacred. Just like the Devil takes holy things and perverts them, The Misfit is a man made in the image of God, who has became

8 inverted and contorted into becoming more and image of the Devil, by trying to shove himself in God s place. What Montresor and the Misfit do not seem to realize is that humans are not pure or innocent, but are all inherently corrupted from Original Sin, therefore we do not have God s power to Judge, nor the devil s power to accuse. Although the devil would like us to believe it, we have no right to judge the souls of others. He uses our pride to deceive us into forsaking our souls. In these stories we see men trying to push God away, putting themselves in his place, which is a prideful sin that is a result of giving into the temptations of the Original Sin.

9 Works Cited. "Apollyon-Definition." The Free Dictionary. Farlex, n.d. Web. 4 Dec < Bible: "Bible Gateway." BibleGateway.com: A Searchable Online Bible in over 100 Versions and 50 Languages. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Dec < Bryant, Hallman B. "Reading The Map In 'A Good Man Is Hard To Find'." Studies In Short Fiction 18.3 (1981): 301. Academic Search Complete. Web. 13 Dec Yellow-Definition Dictionary of Symbolism, Cultural Icons and The Meanings Behind Them. Biedermann, Hans. New York: Meridian, Print. 3 Dec Milton, John. Paradise Lost. Ed. Scott Elledge. 2nd ed. New York: Norton, Web. 3 Dec < Montgomery, Marion. Miss Flannery s Good Man Ed. Laurie Lanzen Harris and Sheila Fitzgerald. Vol Detroit: Gale, Print. Dec O Bellamy, Michael. Everything Off Balance: Protestant Election in Flannery O Connor s A Good Man Is Hard To Find. Short Story Criticism: Excerpts from Criticism of the Works of Short Fiction Writers. Ed. Laurie Lanzen Harris and Sheila Fitzgerald. Vol Detroit: Gale, Print. Dec O'Connor, Flannery. "A Good Man Is Hard To Find." A Good Man Is Hard To Find. N.p.: Harcourt, Bruce and, n.d. N. pag. Web. 3 Dec <

10 "Original Sin." Literary Reference Center. EBSCOhost, n.d. Web. 4 Dec < search.ebscohost.com.library2.pima.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lfh&an= &site=lrc-live>. Poe, Edgar Allan. "The Cask Of Amontillado." Godey's Lady's Book 1909: n. pag. The Online Literature Library. Web. 3 Dec < Stott, Graham St. John. "Poe's The Cask Of Amontillado." Explicator 62.2 (2004): 85. Biography Reference Bank (H.W. Wilson). Web. 4 Dec White, Patrick. "The Cask Of Amontillado: A Case For The Defense." Studies In Short Fiction 26.(1989): 550. Biography Reference Bank (H.W. Wilson). Web. 4 Dec

Speculations on the Listener in The Cask of Amontillado

Speculations on the Listener in The Cask of Amontillado There are many theories as to who the narrator, Montresor, is speaking to in Edgar Allan Poe s The Cask of Amontillado. Montresor directly addresses