Sweet Revenge Pursued in "The Gilded Six-Bits" and "A Cask of Amontillado"
Summary:
A comparison of the two main characters from the stories "The Gilded Six-Bits" by Zora Neale Hurston and from the story "A Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe. The comparison demonstrates how revenge affected these two characters and what they did to regain their pride.
Sweet Revenge
Revenge is an action that people choose to vow when they are betrayed, offended, or for any other wrongdoing committed towards them. Usually a person has a reasonable motive to attain vengeance. Zora Neale Hurston's story "The Gilded Six-Bits" and Edgar Allan Poe's story "A Cask of Amontillado" present revenge as a method to counterattack someone for a transgression. The more the person is damaged, the more damage they wish to inflict. These short stories serve to demonstrate that revenge is a satisfying act. The revenge in "The Gilded Six-Bits" symbolizes the anger Joe has for the adultery that Missie May committed with Mr. Slemmons. After catching his wife fooling around with another man, Joe is forced to avenge this offense. In "A Cask of Amontillado" Fortunato insulted Montresor and by doing so, he also insulted his family. Montresor seeks the destruction of his rival due to Fortunato's insult. The need for revenge, in these stories, is shown to hurt other people emotionally and physically. Both these stories exemplify the dark side of human nature.
Revenge can overwhelm a person, and become the single most important objective in their life. Throughout the short story "A Cask of Amontillado" Edgar Allan Poe, develops the feelings of revenge, held by the central character Montresor. One example for vowing revenge would be through his family's personal values. The Montresor family's coat of arms suggests that when offended the person will not be free from punishment. Montresor's precise premeditated plan reveals his dedication to his act. Montresor knew his limits for his revenge, that he was sure to not jeopardize his life for a moment's pleasure.
Montresor's statement "At length I would be avenged, this was a point definitely settled - but the very definitiveness with which it was resolved precluded the idea of risk" lets the reader know that he has already planned Fortunato's death, to be slow and painful (Poe 432). It also shows that not only was Montresor going to have his revenge; but, he would do so in such a calculating and deliberate way that he would be certain not to get caught. As Fortunato says to Montresor "the cough is a mere nothing; it will not kill me. I shall not die of a cough" it foreshadows his death in the hands of Montresor (Poe 434). Montresor's response is full of verbal irony when he says, "True-true" (Poe 434). Montresor's reply suggests that he knows that Fortunato will not die because of a cough, but by his hands. Montresor caters to Fortunato's ego by saying that Luchesi is as good a judge of wine as he is (Poe 433). On the other hand, part of his revenge was the use of reverse psychology to get Fortunato deep into the catacombs, where his death awaited him, "Come, I said with decision, "we will go back; your health is precious" (Poe 434). However, Montresor knew very well that Fortunato would do anything to savor an expensive wine.
It is indicated in the past that Fortunato has hurt Montresor many times, "The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could; but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge" (Poe 432).Though, the story does not relate what offense Fortunato did towards Montresor, we realize that Montresor's ambition for Fortunato's death revolves around an insult or his imagination. Even though, Montresor gains revenge he loses his humanity in the wicked act of premeditated murder. His thoughts and actions lend to his manipulative and vengeful nature. Montresor states that in spite of his decision to kill Fortunato, he continued smiling in his face (Fortunato's), but he adds: ."..and he did not perceive that my smile now was at the thought of his immolation" (Poe 432). So, when they meet each other he behaved as always, but now Montresor's smile had another meaning.
Nevertheless, revenge also plays a major role in the story "The Gilded Six-Bits." Joe, one of the main characters from "The Gilded Six-Bits," put his love life aside to get revenge on his wife for cheating on him. After the infidelity, Joe was never the same, the affectionate actions such as the play fighting, the chunking money at the door, and the pocket searching were set aside for one sole purpose; revenge (Hurston 419). Missie May did not dare play search Joe's pockets because she knew that the gold piece was in his pocket, and she did not want to find it and bring up the subject. The gold piece of Mr. Slemmons' watch charm symbolized the unfaithfulness that Missie May had for Joe. The reappearance of the gold coin in the story is placed by Joe to remind Missie May of her disloyalty. This action is Joe's revenge towards Missie May; this way she will not forget what she did to offend him. Each time the coin appeared Joe emotionally hurt Missie May. However, since his feelings were hurt by her actions, he had a logical reason to get revenge. Even though Missie May apologized for what she did, she was not acquitted from the emotional torture Joe had prepared for her.
Joe also verbally avenged the betrayal that his wife had committed, "Iss goingter be a boy chile and de very spit of you," said Missie May, "You reckon, Missie May"" questioned Joe, "Who else could it look lak"" she retorted (Hurston 420). With his reproachful question, Joe was indirectly bringing back the subject of Mr. Slemmons and her. After all the torment that Joe made Missie May go through, he finally realized that he was not happy until his mother told him that the baby boy looked just like him. The day that Joe's mother accepted Missie May was the day that Joe stopped his revenge.
Even though, both these men got revenge from there offender, they both had a different reaction towards in the end. In the "Gilded Six-Bits" Joe realized that he had been acting childish for getting revenge from Missie May, by hurting her emotionally. In the end, their new life turns out to be better than before. On the other hand, Montresor does not seem to have cared about what grotesque crime he had committed. His last statement suggests that he felt no remorse for killing Fortunato, "In pace requiescat" (Poe 437). In the human race their will always be a shady spot where evil resides, that can be the drive to lead a person to commit disastrous actions.
Revenge is a part of the wicked, dark side of human nature that everyone tends to feel. The main characters of both stories, Joe and Montresor, vowed revenge on their offenders however, there is a difference between the two. Montresor is portrayed by Poe to be evil and diabolical while Hurston writes Joe's character to be the victim of the story. However, both these characters unleash the monstrous and vengeful nature in each person. This comes to show that no matter what the ending taste of revenge is, there is always an evil side in humans.
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