Why Did Montresor Spare Will?
Well, wasn’t this week’s chapter fun?
Something has always been a bit odd about the relationship between Will and Monty.
It’s quite clear to me why Will clings to Monty. Monty’s attachment to Will is much more ambiguous. As much as Montresor can play the nonchalant card, he at least wants Will around.
He’s a character full of contradictions. He wants to use Will because he knows Will is easy to manipulate and control. Will is someone he can bully who won’t ever fight back. Yet at the same time, it almost feels like Monty feels obligated to look after him because of that perceived helplessness. Against his own interests, he repeatedly goes out of his way to keep Will safe, in his own way.
I do believe a lot of Monty’s anger toward this Will stems from the belief that he was deceived. He outright says the reason he’s always looking out for Will is because:
So when "Will" ends up being fine, to Montresor it may appear that his helplessness and his need for Monty were never real. An act. So Monty does what Monty does best, which is lash out.
Montresor has always been a bully to Will, but before the Wild Hunt arc it was mostly verbal. However, after the whole "Will returning after the Wild Hunt" situation, Monty becomes much more openly aggressive.
This builds to Monty’s eventual attempt to permanently remove "Will" from the picture. An act born from Monty’s perverted sense of justice for his Will. However, his conviction wavers when it becomes clear "Will" is just as confused as Monty about the events of the Wild Hunt. Monty seems to tone down his aggression when "Will" panics. It’s clear that, at least to "Will’s" knowledge, there was no intentional deception.
So ultimately, I think part of the reason Montresor backs down is revealed in the maze flashback. Will is not a threat to Monty, and it’s clear that this "Will" still needs him. Even if it’s not his Will. For now, that is enough for Monty.
Monty seems to want someone (Will lol) to depend on him like a savior or perhaps even a dashing knight to a damsel. 👀
Another one of the many fascinating ways Monty and Lenore parallel each other.
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