Question

Poe often drew inspiration for his tales from the real world. Compare the details of "The Story Behind ‘The Cask of Amontillado'" on page 380 with Poe's story. How similar are these accounts?

Answer 1

Answer:

Considering the real life story "The Story Behind the Cask of Amontillado" and Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado" bear striking similarities.

In the real life version, a spiteful army Captain kills a young Lieutenant. The pals of the latter sells him  drinks and take him to a dungeon where they bind him and seal him up inside alive. No one figured out the enigma behind his vanishing and his body wasn't found till years later.

Poe uses this real life story to create a fiendish portrait of a man who is willing to go to the same length to seek revenge. Poe's protagonist uses the same method to kill his enemy and is never caught either.

Differences:

In the real life version, the soldiers are hot headed young men who want to take vengeance for their friend's untimely death. In Poe's story, however, Montresor is a cold-blooded killer who enjoys executing every moment of his sinister plan. Also, his victim's crime was merely insulting him on some occasion.

Explanation: