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Why is the narrator in "The Cask of Amontillado" upset with Fortunato?
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The narrator, Montresor, is upset with Fortunato due to a series of perceived injuries and insults. Montresor has endured numerous offenses from Fortunato, but a particular insult seems to have wounded his pride deeply, prompting him to vow revenge. Fortunato's dismissive attitude toward Montresor's wine purchase and his condescending remarks about Montresor not being a Freemason exemplify the behavior that fuels Montresor's anger and leads to his sinister plan.
In the opening paragraph of the short story, the narrator, Montresor, explains why he is upset with Fortunato. Fortunato had apparently wounded and laughed at the narrator, who mentions that he has suffered in silence as Fortunato repeatedly insulted him thousands of times. The narrator quietly takes note of Fortunato's offensive behavior and plots his revenge. In the remainder of the short story, the narrator convinces Fortunato to follow him deep into his vaults, where the rare Amontillado wine is supposedly located. Fortunato follows the narrator until he reaches a small recess in the wall towards the back of the vaults. When Fortunato enters the recess, the narrator chains his arms and begins to build a wall of stone behind Fortunato, essentially burying him alive.
The narrator, Montresor, is angry with Fortunato because he feels that Fortunato has injured and insulted him. He says, "The thousand injuries of Fortunato I...
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had borne as I best could; but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge." It sounds as though Fortunato has wounded Montresor many times, but something has changed now, and it is perhaps that Fortunato has wounded Montresor's pride; this new insult was the straw that broke the camel's back.
It isn't hard to believe that Fortunato would be willing to insult Montresor, as we see him all too willing to do so during the story. He doesn't believe that the wine Montresor purchased without consulting him could actually be Amontillado, and he says, "'You have been imposed upon. And as for Luchesi, he cannot distinguish Sherry from Amontillado.'" Thus, Fortunato insults the discernment and taste of both Montresor and Luchesi, another locally-respected wine connoisseur. Then, as he and Montresor walk further into the catacombs, Fortunato seems to take pleasure in pointing out that Montresor is not a member of the brotherhood of Freemasons. When Montresor says that he is a mason, Fortunato doesn't believe him, and says, "'You? Impossible! A mason?'" He clearly wishes to lord over Montresor the fact that he belongs to this ancient brotherhood and Montresor does not, and his only motivation can be to insult Montresor again.