Fortunato comments on the Montresor family motto and emblem. The phrase means nobody harms me without being punished. Montresor and Fortunato refer to niter several times. Montresor calls it "the white web-work which gleams from these cavern walls." The niter, therefore, represents the web, or the trap, Montresor has set for his victim. Fortunato means fortunate in Italian, an ironic name for someone about to be walled up in the catacombs. (Stepp, 1976)
Montresor's behavior toward Fortunato is described as follows: "It must be understood that neither by word nor deed had I given Fortunato cause to doubt my good will. I continued as was my wont, to smile in his face, and he did not perceive that my smile now was at the thought of his immolation. The conversation regarding the Masons demonstrates an ironic (Baraban, 2004)misunderstanding: Fortunato refers to the Masonic order, a secret society of brothers; Montresor pulls out a trowel, a reference to bricklayers. In that respect, Montresor is a mason. Fortunato's last words before being chained to the rock are "he is an ignoramus." In …show more content…
The Misfit’s philosophies may deprive, but they are consistent. Unlike the grandmother, whose moral code falls apart the moment challenged, the Misfit has a steady view of life and acts according to what he believes is right. He knows he isn’t a great man, but he also knows that there are others worse than he Twisted as it might be, he can rely on his moral code to guide his actions. The grandmother cannot, and in the last moments of her life, she recognizes his strength and her weaknesses. O’Connor called the Misfit a “prophet gone wrong,” and indeed, if he had applied his moral integrity to a less depraved lifestyle, he could have been considered a faithful preacher, pillar, or teacher. (Sutton,