Answer: The important theme of realism is the beautiful and harsh realities of life.
Explanation:
In <em>'Song of Myself'</em>, Whitman explores the theme of life, in all its beauty and cruelty. He describes the life cycle - when people die, they are buried in the ground. The bodies that go to the grass have a nourishing effect on the vegetation. Plants grow, and new life comes to the earth. The nature becomes rich and beautiful once again, which indicates that death does not end a life. In this particular excerpt, Whitman writes about a dead body that is decomposed. The image is frightening, but Whitman is able to see past that and is certain that beautiful roses will grow out of it. Although life seems to be harsh as it results in death, it is beautiful at the same time. Where one life ends, new begins.
Any critic will tell you that Montresor is “a classic example of an unreliable narrator.” And this is probably true: if he's capable of plastering Fortunato into a vault, we can't trust him. If he's lying, and he didn't kill Fortunato, then we still can't trust him.
