The authors of The Blind Assassin, The Cask of Amontillado, and The Story of An Hour have used their main characters, Iris Chase Griffen, Montressor and Louise Mallard respectively to exemplify the dark side of human nature. Though the three may portray some different characteristics, there are substantial similarities with respect to their character development as the novels progress. For instance, in the short story The Story of An Hour, Kate Chopin presents the dynamic character of Louise Mallard, who intrinsically changes throughout the story. In the beginning of the story, Louise is shocked and sad after the hearing that her husband, Brently has died, but at the close of the narrative, she celebrates her new independence. However, Mrs. Mallard is a melancholic woman stuck in a resentful marriage, and despite being an intelligent woman, the meaning of life and death assume a contradictory meaning for her since she lacks the courage to stand up for herself. The same is evinced in Edgar Allen Poe’s short story, The Cask of Amontillado, which features Montresor, who experiences the human condition of vengeance. Initially, he says he has suffered a lot from Fortunato, but the moment he is insulted, his character drastically changes. Despite showing some signs of guilt, Montresor’s intelligence character and loyalty to family is quickly overturned by vengeance, barring him from rethinking the evil deed he has just done. A similar character progression is manifested in Margaret Atwood’s The Blind Assassin, where, Iris Chase Griffen is introduced as a very quiet woman forced to grow without a paternal figure. At first, Iris is depicted as assertive, passionate, creative, resilient and independent, but in the end, her fight for inequality hits a dead-end; her life is ruined, becoming a used product of the patriarchal society. Overall, influenced by different factors, Montresor, Louise Mallard and Iris experienced similar character changes throughout their respective stories; growing from more independent characters to weaker characters, simultaneously showing little or no success in conquering their major flaws.
In his horror story, The Cask of Amontillado, Poe utilizes the theme of vengeance to depict character development/changes in Montresor, describe Montresor’s deception to kill Fortunato, while at the same time expressing Montresor’s feelings at the close of the narrative. Montresor’s core characteristics include hatred, anger, and revenge. In the narrative, Montresor is angry with Fortunato simply because he thinks Fortunato has insulted and wronged him many times. Further, his hatred for Fortunato extends to the level of believing that he has to kill Fortunato, stating that, “[y]ou, who so well know the nature of my soul, will not suppose, however, that I gave utterance to a threat” (Poe 77). The narrator in this line appears to imply that his soul is flooded with hatred, and proceeds to assert that Fortunato will get the utmost penalty, death. Montresor expresses his revenge traits, further by saying, “…but when [Fortunato] ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge.” and “…I would be avenged…” (Poe 78). The inference here is that he is going get revenge on the person who has insulted him, and who he is angry with, Fortunato. All these traits stem from his family motto and arms. At first glance, this indeed shows a positive character, who is loyal to his family, but his vengeful nature right from the start of the novel sets the tone for the ensuing acts. However, despite the fact that Montresor’s traits of hatred, anger and revenge derives from his firm belief on family arms and motto, he shows a sign of feeling guilty for killing Fortunato. In fact, he tries to stop Fortunato from following him to the catacombs, though unknowingly, Fortunato refuses to stay back. However, as the story closes, Montresor appears to lose this guilty feeling when he remarks, “For half a century no mortal has disturbed [Fortunato’s grave]. In pace requiescat!” (Poe 80). In effect, Montresor’s vengeful character barred him from rethinking the evil act he has just done, with his only concern being to avenge the insults he perceived; signifying a weak character development and his inability to conquer his major flaws like hatred, anger and vengeance.
Similar character development is demonstrated by Louise. Mallard in The Story of an Hour by Chopin. Mrs. Mallard represents a very dynamic character, who internally changes throughout the narrative. In the beginning of the story, Mrs. Mallard portrays herself as an intelligent and independent woman, but as the story progresses, the reader understands that her inner feelings and thoughts are rather skewed. After she first hears the news of her husband’s (Bentley) death, her reaction assumes the form of the words: ‘free, free, free!’ (Chopin 555). Clearly, this indicates that she is already beginning to experience the type of life she wants after hearing the news of her husband’s demise. Nonetheless, her love for life, plus the desire to live a long life assumes an ironic twist after observing that her husband is indeed alive. It should be remembered that the news is gradually broken to Mrs. Mallard because at first, she is seen as too weak to handle this cold reality. However, what strikes most is her knowing that her husband is still alive; a shock that takes the life that she hoped to live long and free after the death of her husband, as highlighted in the line, “…. her life might belong to enjoy all the seasons in her life.’ (Chopin 556). Therefore, Mrs. Mallard’s violent reaction symbolizes her emotional nature, as throughout the story, her grief over the supposedly dead husband transforms into joy, reflecting how his death will give her freedom and independence. Unluckily, she dies of heart attack after her husband shows up alive, not because of joy as stipulated by the doctors, but rather from her loss of joy. So, just like Montresor, Louise Mallard presents a round character throughout the story, and though their initial sophisticated and strong characterization foster the uniqueness of the stories, Louise’s death affirms her weakness, especially since she cannot overcome this sudden disappointment and the feeling that she has been robbed of her independence and freedom.
Similar to the cases of Montresor and Louise Mallard, at the crux of Atwood’s novel is the main character, Iris Chase Griffen, who also demonstrates a round character as evidenced by her full development and expansive emotions throughout the narrative. At the beginning of the story, Iris reveals very little regarding her emotions, mostly seen as being preoccupied with past life. Initially, Iris appears like a woman who has chosen to conform to the social expectations out of fearfulness and the urge to please other people. She is portrayed as a quiet woman forced to grow up with no guidance from a paternal figure, and therefore, she faces the costs of deception and manipulation from her arranged husband, Richard Griffen. So, throughout the novel, Iris spends the rest of her life in quest of all the lies that have caused the demise of the once thriving Chase family. As a passionate, assertive and resilient woman, Iris struggles to have her views authenticated because as a woman, she is expected to be submissive. The novel displays this form of inequality via the regret this character experiences due to the inability to control her life. Unfortunately, Iris’ character assumes an ironic twist when she freely decides to sacrifice her life to save the family’s company after marrying Richard. Indeed, she forgets this, “I felt confused, and also inadequate: whatever it was he was asking or demanding …. This was the first time a man would expect more from me than I was capable of giving, but it would not be the last” (Atwood 11). In the end, her life is ruined and full of regrets, and she becomes a used product of the patriarchal society. Therefore, just like Louise Mallard, Iris represents a round character, who transforms from being a strong-willed individual in the opening of the novel into a weak character who cannot sustain her stance throughout the story.
Suffice to say, despite having various differences, the three stories explored in this essay have a fundamental commonality, especially with respect to characterization and character development. Influenced by different factors, Montresor, Louise Mallard and Iris experienced similar character changes throughout their respective stories; growing from more independent characters to weaker characters, with the trio showing little or no success in conquering their major flaws. Overall, the trio typify dynamic characters, intrinsically changing throughout the story.
Works Cited
Atwood, Margaret. The blind assassin. Hachette UK, 2009. Print.
Chopin, Kate. The story of an hour. Joe Books Ltd, 2018. Print.
Poe, Edgar Allan. The cask of Amontillado. The Creative Company, 2008. Print.
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