The Cask of Amontillado and Man in The Well (Essay Sample)

The Cask of Amontillado and Man in The Well
"Man in the Well" is a story written by Ira Sher, whereas the "Cask of Amontillado" is a short tale written by Edgar Allen Joe. These stories are familiar in several ways but have some distinctions as well. For instance, both tales have a significant theme of confinement which is essential to the stories, and a victim who has been tricked consistently (Sher, 1995). Examples of distinction that can be explored from both stories are the mindset of executioners and the social classes where stories are set. To start with, "Cask of Amontillado" is a revenge tale where Montressor, the protagonist, reciprocates to “1000 injuries of Fortunato” that he had given birth to by scheduling the murder of his foe.
Montressor’s objective is to avenge the insults that were made to his ancestral family by Fortunato “I promised myself that I would make him pay for this, that I would have revenge.” Contrary, “The Man in the Well” has no mission of bringing harm but rather to pursue a man by teasing him. The naivety of the children, together with their underdetermined desires for the actions to take with the man, contributes to the critical dangers he faces towards the end of the story (Sher 1995). The kid's ambition of leaving the innocent "Man in the Well" is a cruel decision, but for the children, it seems to appease them. The reason could be that they are unfamiliar with the consequences of their actions.
The setting of The Man in the Well is an abandoned farm that is located in a small town, while the setting of Cask of Amontillado is during a carnival season in Italy. Both settings are different because one starts with a man who is in a well and asks for help that is not there. The other setting is during a celebration where revenge is planned (Allan Poe, 2022). However, there are similarities where Fortunato is lured into a house where his death is planned. It is evident that the murder of Fortunato was premeditated, and the perpetrator, Montressor, had confessed to having planned to murder him. The age of Montressor is about seventy-five years old; this is because, according to the story, he committed his first crime when he was twenty-five years.