This Amontillado Is Exquisite...

Upon reading Edgar Allan Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado," a question popped into mind. Not about the irony of the story, nor the motivation of vengeance, nor even the odd choice of names. No, the question that popped into my mind was, "why was wine so stressed in this story?" Seriously, it played a major role, and I for one picked up on it. Now, I'm not one for wine, don't care for the stuff, and I find the wine "connoisseurs" (which one must always pronounce with a silly French accent, otherwise you just sound ridiculous) just snooty and annoying. So to better grasp this story, I did a little research.

Here's a funny thing, when Fortunato keeps scoffing that Lechresi "cannot tell Amontillado from Sherry," well, that's actually somewhat ironic. You see, apparently Amontillado is actually a type of Sherry. It's darker and only had the slightest difference in structure and taste from other types of Sherry. In fact, some wineries only categorize Amontillados by a their difference in color. For your comparison, here's a basic glass of Sherry:

And here is a glass of Amontillado:

Only slightly darker. But, what bearing does that have on the story? Well, bear in mind it was intoxication that allowed for Fortunato to be lured to the chambers of his demise. His knowledge, his expertise in the field, his arrogance and chastising of others as such played into said doom. This could be a commentary on the futility of the "overcultured," those who have too much time to waste on frivolous things that breed arrogance about the pointless. I believe in some way, Poe (who had exposure to that kind of lifestyle) was trying to show that kind of lifestyle and mentality only leads to horrible and ironic doom. It just shows that a little knowledge (and too much wine) can sometimes be a dangerous thing. 

"So this blind man was on the way to stay the night..."

The title of the post, it almost sounds like the setup to the joke? Change the location to a bar, and you'd be expecting a laugh. But, that's actually the setup to Raymond Carter's "Cathedral." The story itself, was interesting, and it really makes one think upon reading it.

What was most interesting to me was the characterization and point of view. This story takes place mainly through the eyes and in the head of the unnamed protagonist. Raymond Carter's style in this story really pays off, for the presentation of the story is very "stream of consciousness." By that I mean it looks like you're viewing the character's thoughts in real time. His thought process is choppy and filled with non sequitrs, much like the human thought process. This does jar the reader, or at least it did to me, on the initial read through, but on another one can acclimate to it and get into the near-perfect stream of thought.

But the character himself, he's a rotten, horrible human being really. He's a cynic, a bigot, and really (for lack of a better term) just and all around asshole. He's in a pretty much loveless marriage where he can't understand the basic things that makes his wife happy.  He's callous and cold to his guest, a blind man to boot who seems like a friendly and stand up guy from the get go. And is there really any growth of character by the end of the story? Maybe a little, but not enough to change him greatly I imagine. He's just one of those people you just learn to love to hate, and that's part of the story's appeal I believe.

Song of Still Air

Can you hear the song of still air?
Take a listen, see if you can.


Did you hear it?
A song that weeps for every sorrow,
That cries in the dead of night,
Of every sin and sorrow that had been done,
A song of tears that fall as waterfalls,
A song that radiates from the dark of night,
That knows the secrets of the skies,
That sings of them to better their lives,
And warn them of the heartaches they could avoid.
It is a terribly sad and mournful song.


And yet so few hear,
And so fewer will to listen.