Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” includes a unique symbolism of the clampdown, dominance of lgbt desire along with the destroying effects of a society that promotes repressive behavior. This short history details the process of imprisoning what the narrator despises—both practically and metaphorically. Yet a queer analytical lens gives the figurative homoerotic undertones of the story to lumination, focusing mainly on libido illuminates the metaphorical imprisonment and clampdown, dominance of the narrator’s same-sex wishes. Ultimately, the narrator depresses his libido and displaces his hatred onto Prospero due to societal pressures, thus acting to stifle some thing considered taboo and atrocious.
Singular theory evaluates the position of libido in fictional works as well as its influence about characters’ identities. Whether a character’s sexuality is definitely blatantly mentioned, subtlety alluded to, or completely dismissed in a text, its presence or lack thereof presents an intriguing analytical lens by which to dissect a piece of books. Johanna Smith’s article “What Are Male or female Criticism and Queer Theory” describes queer theory because an “emphasis on sexuality and on it is broader insistence that the multifaceted and liquid character of identity does away with efforts to categorize persons on the basis of anybody characteristic” (388). The sexuality of a character can are present on a spectrum, as that character can easily have queer characteristics without being labelled homosexual, and can encounter same-sex desire while existing outside of the binary types society makes. A character does not form his or her entire character around that aspect of personality, or even to simply accept that aspect.
A character’s identity consists of many qualities, nevertheless , the repression and refusal of virtually any aspect can detrimentally impact well-being and mental state. In case the character lives in a culture where heading against the tradition of heterosexuality is considered execrable, then “homosexual panic, the revelation of your unspeakable homosexual desire” (Smith 391) might cause distress, and an troubled desire for repression. Once a character recognizes inborn same-sex desire, that persona enters a situation of dislike, of fear of being found out and ostracized by society—leading to the unsuccessful suppression of sexuality. This kind of anxiety, combined with repression, can drastically effect a character’s mental state. That character relates to despise her or his sexuality simply for its peculiarity and society’s taboos, and then for an inability to be rid of it—creating an internal turmoil.
Poe’s story features numerous elements that recommend same-sex desire and meaning for sexuality itself: It had been about dusk, one nighttime during the best madness from the carnival time, that I came across my friend. This individual accosted me personally with excessive warmth, for he had been drinking very much. The man dressed in motley. He had on a tight parti-striped dress, and his brain was surmounted by the cone-shaped cap and bells. I had been so very happy to see him that I thought I should never have done wringing his hands (Poe). This kind of portion of Poe’s story depends heavily upon juxtaposing mellifluous and extreme words and imagery. Poe uses words and phrases generally linked to violence including “accosted” and “wringing” to spell out the good actions of hugging and shaking hands—customs generally articulating friendship. This harsh compare not only provides the narrator’s literal violence towards Fortunato, but likewise the other forces of affection and hate that are living within him. The narrator is split between the like and desire that come with libido and his hate for lgbt desire, and then for the confusion and challenges it brings to his life. His continuous switching among hostile and friendly words displays the internal conflict within the narrator as a result of his homosexual desire, which will he views madness.
Since the narrator finds his sexuality to be disorienting, it is just befitting that he executes his decide to completely eliminate himself of computer during a carnival—the epitome of mischief and madness. He then detects a person to personify his sexuality—his friend, Fortunato—a man praised for improper manoeuvres and who will be literally using clothing worn by fools. The narrator’s focus on the product emphasizes just how Fortunato presents something preposterous and odd, an image showing how Montresor sights his homosexual desire. Though he wishes to completely rid himself of his sexuality, and consequently the man whom represents that, Montresor are not able to help yet feel a slight joy in allowing him self to stop repressing his wish for a moment. The pleasure the fact that narrator obviously gleans via seeing Prospero also translates into his happiness upon allowing his desire out into the open.
Montresor enables his homoerotic desire to break free, for this individual knows that, to fully rid him self of it, he must confront and capture this. He simply cannot take action from this desire when denying its existence. Once he completely acknowledges his sexuality, his hatred for having such a scandalous desire bubbles for the surface and he projects his harsh emotions upon Fortunato. Possessing a person because the representation of his sexuality provides Montresor a physical entity which to focus his rage and confusion. The contradicting phrases that the narrator uses to describe Fortunato support the notion that Montresor would not hate him as a man, but simply hates what he presents. He describes Fortunato as being a friend often times, and as he finishes capturing him inside the catacombs, his “heart [grows] sick” (Poe), a sentiment which he weakly characteristics to the mugginess of the tunnel. Montresor seems such discomfort after totally sealing off Fortunato as they has hurt his friend, and has additionally lost an integral part of his identity.
Regardless of the projection of hate on Fortunato and the desire to be reduce something that causes suffering, Montresor does not want to completely length himself from his sexuality. He recognizes that his same-sex desire is component to his sense of home, and that totally suppressing it will cause him to lose some himself. Even though he wishes to damage his method to obtain shame, Montresor does not violently murder Fortunato—and subsequently his sexuality—but constructs an elaborate want to literally wall up his feelings as well as the man. He chooses his own family catacomb to become the resting place of his sexuality—a place near by, and set aside only for these dear to Montresor. Montresor also has second thoughts about finishing the wall since his goals start to become reality, this individual even cell phone calls to Prospero, as he realizes that his metaphorical sexuality is departing him. These small particulars reveal the narrator would not innately hate his homoeroticism, nor truly want to clear himself of it.
Though he does not inherently despise his libido, Montresor are unable to explore his feelings and therefore feels ostracized, causing him to project his hate of culture and himself onto Prospero. By closing away Prospero, Montresor literally and figuratively walls up his desire and gets rid of the source of his disappointment and of his feelings of being different. Montresor forces himself to completely seal off his sexuality in order that he will no longer be separated through the norm and may reintegrate him self back into culture. His intense distress over something unspeakable in his society causes him to experience lgbt panic, get slightly angry, and build a scheme to clear himself of a strong desire.
Montresor’s suppression of his sexuality due to living in a traditions that admonishes such habit leads to the poker site seizures described in the story. In order to be typical, the narrator constructs a plan to forever rid himself of his same-sex desire. He character his sexuality as his friend Prospero, towards who he then blows all of his hatred for having homoerotic elements and the ostracization that comes with them. Montresor’s textual sealing away of Prospero symbolizes the whole suppression of that aspect of his identity, something which he does not truly dislike nor wish to lose, yet that he knows he or she must eliminate in order to function as a interpersonal being. The distress that Montresor encounters symbolizes the detrimental effects of a world that encourages the clampdown, dominance of sexuality.
Performs Cited
Poe, Edgar Allan. The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe Poestories. com. Poestories. In. p., d. d. World wide web. 01 Nov. 2016.
Smith, Johanna. “What Happen to be Gender Critique and Andersrum (umgangssprachlich) Theory. ” Frankenstein: Total, Authoritative Textual content with Biographical, Historical, and Cultural Situations, Critical History, and Works from Modern-day Critical Perspectives, Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2150, pp. 381-400
