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Question: How reliable is the narrator of “Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allen Poe!?
okay so im failing this class miserably,so if someone could answer this for me,thatd be nice,and id be super grateful!.
i give best answers!.
:]Www@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
it says in my english textbook that all first-person narrators(persona) are unreliable!. they are describing from they're point of view and try to justify their actions!. my englisht teacher explained it kind of like when you and your sibling are fighting and ransack the house when you're parents are away!. they come home and ask each seperately what happened!. of course you're going to blame it all on your sibling and potray yourself as the hero!. it's the same with first person in writing
and yep, the narrator is crazy murderer! i wouldn't call that reliable!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Montresor is dedicated to his own point of view, which is cold, merciless, brutal, conniving, and vengeful!. He doesn’t mind telling us about his torture and murder of Fortunato; indeed, he thinks what he did was the just, right way to handle the situation!.

He is unreliable!. Montresor’s confession/brag-fest begins to look suspiciously meta-fictional!. Meta-fiction means that a story or a moment in the story comments on the writing process in some way!.

From Shmoop Lit/Cask of Amontillado/Narrator Point of ViewWww@QuestionHome@Com

Considering that he is the only source that we have, we must assume he is being reliable!. But, he does not tell us why Fortunado has mad him so angry!. also, if he is willing to kill somebody he must be pretty messed up in the head, so he may be leaving out some crucial components of the story!. There are some hints of both reliable and unreliable in the story, but I would say that he is not being reliableWww@QuestionHome@Com

No, he's not reliable!. It's told from first person, which is never reliable!. He could have left out details to make himself look better, or make what he does more justifiable!. In addition, it's a tale of revenge!. When someone goes to great lengths to get revenge, they're not thinking properly, and they're not in an entirely stable mental state!. Mental instability is not reliable!.

I can't quite think of all of the details of that story, it's been a few years since I last read it!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Right from the first sentence we know he's not reliable:

"The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge!."

What "thousand injuries"!? First of all, that must be a huge exaggeration!. Secondly, he never tells us what those injuries are or what the insult was!. For all we know, Fortunato may have scratched his nose and M!. thought he was thumbing his nose at him!

Next, he deceives his friend!. He takes advantage of him, making him drunk so he wouldn't be suspicious!. Then he buries him alive! That's downright insane!.

In short, Montresor is a liar, a deceiver, and insane, and he tells us no detail about these supposed injuries and the insult!. All that and more make him unreliable!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

not that reliable, first becuase hes crazy, second because he hates fortunato and the story is biased to his point of view!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

The narrator is completely unstable!. He is consumed with revenge!. So not reliable!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I read it!
hes completly unrealiable
hes crazy
he doesnt even let the readers know what Fortunato did
this book had verbal and dramatic irony if that means anything to youWww@QuestionHome@Com

He is not reliable at all!. You'd know that if you read the story!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

he is completely unreliableWww@QuestionHome@Com

You should just read it!. It'll take you all of five minutes!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

no hes notWww@QuestionHome@Com