I am doing a report on the similarities and the differences between "the cask of amontillado" and "the tell-tale heart." Can you give me a few ideas.

-- Anonymous, December 07, 2000

Answers

Many short stories have similarities and differences. The short stories The Tell Tale Heart and The Cask of Amontillado have many similarities and major differences which is probably because they are both written by the same individual Edgar Allan Poe. The first similarity would be that they both begin and follow through with the main character narrating the story. In the Tell Tale Heart the narrator is explaining the story not to long after it has happened. Unlike the Tell Tale Heart, The Cask of Amontillado is being told by the narrator almost a half of a century later. Another similarity would be the actions of the two characters. The character of the Tell Tale Heart had been plotting to murder the old man from the beginning of the story. Similar to Montresor, the main character of the Cask of Amontillado, who had also been plotting the murder he was going to committ for some time. A major difference between the two are the motives. The characters motive in the Tell Tale Heart is that the old mans "hideous" eye had agrivated and disgusted him and it got to him so much that he felt he had to kill him. It was nothing against the old man though. In the Cask of Amontillado his motive is that of revenge. Montressor is getting Fortunato back for the many embarrassments and insults he has imposed on him. Another similarity would be the two characters attempts to cover the evidence of murder. In the Tell Tale Heart, after the main character committs the murder he cleverly dismembers the body and places it under the apartments floor boards. In the Cask of Amontillado Montressor takes Fortunato deep into the family catacombs where not even a scream can be heard. Montressor tricks Fortunato and locks him up in shackles. He then builds a brick wall in front of him and leaves him there. Unlike the Cask of Amontillado, the character of the Tell Tale Heart does not get away with the murder. When police come to search the apartment he hollusinates and thinks he is hearing the old mans heart beating. The beating becomes so eratic that he thinks the policeman hear it and that they know he killed him. His hollusinations get to him and he reveals where the body parts are hidden. In the Cask of Amontillado Montressor seals Fortunato in the catacombs and never tells a soul. With this you see that these short stories are similar and different in small way. From reading these stories I have come to the conclusion that the they are more similar then different. The plot, and the characters action show the similarity of the stories. That is because they are written by the same person, Edgar Allan Poe.

-- Anonymous, November 18, 2003