One's pride can lead to either justice or revenge, depending on the morality of the actions taken. In Edgar Allan Poe's terrifying fictional short story "The Cask of Amontillado", Montresor murders the narcissistic Fortunato to first atone and then avenge his family's honor and is solidified by "The motive for the murder in "The Cask of 'Amontillado' by the famous researcher Elena V. Baraban. Amontillado' by Edgar Allan Poe. Throughout the story, Poe walks the paths of justice and vengeance as he restores the honor of the noble Montresor family name. Every wrong must be righted, because justice is a demonstration of morality. In "The Cask of Amontillado", Poe illustrates justice through Montresor restoring his family's honor by putting Fortunato in his place after insulting Montresor's pride when he pompously declared that he had forgotten the coat of arms of Montresor (Poe 5) right after Montresor states that “the Montresors were a big… family” (Poe 5). Montresor's use of the past tense of "were" in reference to the greatness of the Montresor family implies an argument that was likely caused by Fortunato due to his insult against the Montresor family symbol at a time when family status meant All. This would force Montresor to avenge his family name, restoring his honor. However, later, when Montresor goes too far, using murder as a consequence of his wounded pride and falling status, his hubris causes him to concoct a plan to assassinate Fortunato, believing that he, Montresor, had planned the perfect revenge . Therefore, because Montresor did not morally correct Fortunato (relying on revenge rather than justice), Baraban believes that Montresor's "narrative [takes place] on his deathbed, [and that his] Late confessions give enough reason to... . middle of paper...... "The Cask of Amontillado", Montresor feels compelled to seek revenge and avenge his family's honor after Fortunato insults him, hurting his pride. Thus, Montresor, in his need to avenge his family, crosses the fine line of justice into the vast territory of vengeance. This is reinforced by "The Motive for Murder in Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Cask of Amontillado'" by Elena V. Baraban, which comments on Montresor's need to right the wrongs done to his family. Through their works, Baraban and Poe reveal that justice and revenge are a never-ending cycle, especially when the integrity of the family is at stake. Works CitedBaraban, Elena V. "The Motive for Murder in 'The Barrel of God' Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe. Journal of Rocky Mountain Language and Literature. 58.2 (2004): 47-62. JSTOR. Internet. October 25, 2011.Poe, Edgar Allan. “The Amontillado barrel.” April 23 2014.