Montresor
never makes specific what Fortunato has done to him, suggesting that the "thousand
injuries" he may or may not have suffered are less important than Montresor's
perception of injury.
We do get a hint that Fortunato
considers himself superior to Montresor. When Montresor says he is a mason, Fortunato takes this
to mean a Freemason, a group which apparently Fortunato is a part of--and Forunato exclaims
"You! Impossible!" He "recoils" when Montresor shows him the trowel, and
says "You jest." Then his mind returns to his quest for the Amontillado, and he urges
Montresor on.
This dialogue, though short and merely suggestive, speaks
volumes in a compact story. It hints that Fortunato considers that he is lowering himself to be
with Montresor, a man he cannot seriously consider a fellow Mason, and only condescends to do so
because of the bait of the rare wine.
On the other hand, Fortunato's snobbery
is not stated directly as fact by either of the characters. One of the most interesting facets
of this story is its porousness, the way it leaves itself open to construction and
interpretation.
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