I am supposed to write a compare and contrast paper between "Killings" and "The Cask of Amontilado." Can anyone help me with my thesis?

The beginning of your paper comparing the characters of
Montresor and Matt Fowler shows the correct structure for your thesis, but I don't agree
with the original thesis itself.

In
Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado," Montresor is presented as a man with the maniacal need
to murder Fortunato. The reader is never given any reason for Montresor's anger, but he
is an evil, calculating man who has planned every step down to the last detail; when he
walls up Fortunato, Montresor has no regrets. Many years go by and no one suspects that
Montresor had a hand in Fortunato's disappearance and death. Montresor has no misgivings
about his actions, feeling perfectly justified.

However,
Matt Fowler is a very different man who is driven to do the unthinkable: to murder his
own son's murderer. His love for his son is what drives Matt to not only contemplate,
but to carry out his plan.

The second part of your thesis,
what you are trying to say, I DO agree with. It could be argued
that by killing Richard, Matt becomes a version of Richard as well: he becomes a killer.
Matt is the devoted father and husband, and it seems impossible to imagine such a man
taking this step. However, you might consider whether he would have found it easier to
live his life knowing that his son's murderer would be released
from jail for that murder when he was forty-six, free to live out his life as he
pleased, or if Matt will be better able to deal with the knowledge that justice has been
served in his eyes: an eye for an
eye.

The line that seems to separate the two men is the
question of Matt's morality and Montresor's madness; I do not believe that Montresor has
any morality. He is probably a sociopath in that he feels no guilt and no remorse at
all. Matt's morality will be his judge and jury: the real question
is how well he will fair raising his other children, and living with his wife with the
daily knowledge of what he has done— there in his mind when he awakes and there at last
when he falls asleep. Will he ever be free enough of it to find pleasure in his life?
But was that possible at
all once Frank was murdered?

You have some
wonderful material to work with. In summary, if I have it
right:

Matt
Fowler in "Killings," and Montresor in "The Cask of Amontillado," are similar in that
they both are murderers. However, Matt murders because he must find justice for his
son's murder, and Montresor murders most certainly from madness. The main difference
between these two men is that Matt will have to find a way to live with the truth of
what he has done, while Montresor will dismiss it from his
mind.

Shave it down a
little:

Matt
Fowler and Montresor are both murderers, however, whereas Montresor will give his
actions no further consideration, Matt's sense of morality will battle with his need for
justice for the remainder of his
life.

Hope this
helps.