“Araby” and “The Cask of Amontillado”: A Comparison

I found the stories “Araby,” by James Joyce and “The Cask of Amontillado,” by Edgar Allan Poe to have a similar idea behind them. They both seem to be stories involving someone manipulating the actions of another person. I will be talking about and comparing the different elements of each story and their relevance.

Both stories take place in different countries. In “Araby” the story is about a boy from Ireland. The country itself doesn’t have too much importance. The story would be almost the same if the boy was from America. When the main character visits the bazaar is when the setting matters. In this case the setting in not the physical place, but what it represents. The items
The last element that I will talk about is the structure of each story. They are both linear. “Araby” gives more background information and character building. We find out that the protagonist’s goal is the affection of his friend’s sister. It is unclear his specific goals, but we do know that he desires her. The story picks up once she talks to him. He then has to overcome the fact that he has promised her that if he goes, he will get her something. I don’t really feel that there is much of a climax. The main character ultimately fails his goal to retrieve an object to give to her. In “The Cask…” we do not find out much about the main character in the beginning. All we know is that Fortunato has wronged him in some way and that he seeks revenge. Poe does develop and describe the character Fortunato though. Though the story takes place in a short amount of time, Poe makes it feel like a journey or an adventure. The story reaches its’ climax when Fortunato reaches the innermost chamber and the main character chains him to the wall and closes the entrance with masonry. This is where we discover that the ultimate goal of the main character is to trap Fortunato and leave him to die in his cellar. Poe resolution is to show that the main character has got away with his crime and that Fortunato’s remains were left undisturbed for half a century.

Through this comparison I have found that though the stories are completely