Id Versus Ego

After reading “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe, I am able to see the psychological points in this story. It mostly revolves around the id which makes sense. Everyone wants to be happy and satisfied, but how far will we go before we let our superego take over? Montresor was out for revenge on Fortunato for insulting him. Montresor knew that Fortunato’s weakness for fine wine, so he used this to his advantage. “…but in the matter of old wines he was sincere” (Poe, 240).

Fortunato was acting because of his id. Sipiora defines the id as the uncontrollable appetite or basic desire and this part of the psyche is primarily interesting in satisfying itself or seeking pleasure (207). Fortunato’s id is what was telling him to follow Montresor to his vaults even though he was sick with a cough. Montresor made it appear that he was concerned about Fortunato’s cough, and he insisted they turn around and go back. “My friend, no. It is not the engagement, but the severe cold with which I perceive you are afflicted. The vaults are insufferably damp. They are encrusted with nitre” (241). This could be said that it was the ego telling Montresor to turn around. Sipiora defines the ego as controlling and regulating various impulses and it might be seen as the police office in the mind (207). However, Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitre) states that nitre was used to the main character’s advantage as it slowly diminishes his enemy Fortuanto’s health before burying him alive as a form of vulgar revenge. So he knew exactly what he was doing when he took Fortunato to the vaults. This is his id talking to him and he knows after he kills Fortunato he will be satisfied.

In the end after Montresor had locked Fortunato up and hung him on a wall, he thought to himself, “My heart grew sick” (Poe, 244). If this were a true feeling of guilt, it would be the superego responsible for this thought. Sipiora defines the superego as the conscience of the mind, the area that moral judgments are made and individuals punish themselves in the form of guilt, fear, and regret (207).

This story was all about how the characters acted upon their id, ego, and superego. The id prevailed in most of the characters actions. In the end, Fortunato’s id is responsible for his death. But, now that Fortunato is dead, will Montresor be happy now or will someone else come along?

Poe, Edgar Allan. Reading and Writing about Literature. Pearson Education Inc., 2002. 240-244.