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Compare and contrast the friendships in ''The Cask of Amontillado" and "The Story of an Hour".

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The friendships in "The Cask of Amontillado" and "The Story of an Hour" both portray relationships marked by underlying oppression. Montresor and Fortunato's friendship is superficial, with Montresor harboring deep hatred, leading to Fortunato's murder. Conversely, Louise Mallard feels oppressed by her marriage, experiencing joy at her husband's presumed death. Both stories reveal a shocking elation at the perceived death of a partner, highlighting underlying discontent, though Louise's feelings are more complex than Montresor's pure malice.

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There are several obvious differences between the relationships at the center of "The Cask of Amontillado" and "The Story of an Hour." In the former story, Montresor and Fortunato are ostensibly friends in a casual way, and Montresor is responsible for Fortunato's death. In the latter, Mr. and Mrs. Mallard are married, and Mrs. Mallard does not kill her husband. Indeed, he unintentionally kills her at the end of the story.

Nonetheless, the two stories are similar in the shocking joy felt by the protagonist at the death of his/her friend or partner. "The Cask of Amontillado" ends with the gloating words of Montresor, reflecting that he has murdered his adversary with impunity:

Against the new masonry I re-erected the old rampart of bones. For the half of a century no mortal has disturbed them. In pace requiescat!

Just before she sees her husband again, when she still believes that...

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she is dead, Mrs. Mallard shows the same elation at being rid of him:

There was a feverish triumph in her eyes, and she carried herself unwittingly like a goddess of Victory.

In conventional terms, there is something monstrous in Mrs. Mallard's callous reaction to the death of her husband, which parallels the more obvious and active villainy of Montresor.

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Compare the friendships in "The Cask of Amontillado" and "The Story of an Hour."

In Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” and Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour,” friendship is portrayed as a source of oppression and discontent.

In “The Cask of Amontillado,” Montresor and Fortunato have a superficial relationship. They are outwardly polite to one another, but they do not like each other. Montresor hates Fortunato for the many unspecified insults and injuries committed against him. To rid himself of this oppressive relationship, Montresor devises and executes a plan to kill his rival.

Similarly, in “The Story of an Hour,” Louise feels oppressed by her marriage and husband. She admits that he is a good person and a loving partner, but she is tired of living a life that revolves around him. In a sense, the Mallards’ marriage is superficial, much like the tense friendship between Montresor and Fortunato. Louise outwardly acts like everything is fine, but she is secretly miserable and longs for freedom.

Unlike Montresor, Louise does not kill her oppressor, but she is overcome with relief and joy when she believes he was killed in a train accident. Louise also differs from Montresor in that she does not completely hate her husband. She loves him and some part of her is saddened by his supposed passing, whereas Montresor feels nothing but anger and hatred for Fortunato.

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