The phenomenon of evil is a complicated and relative idea. Opinions vary regarding this topic. Evil can be an attribute one is born with; perhaps interpreted as a mental illness or a misunderstanding of acceptable behavior and reasoning resulting in an evil act or practice. They may also be learned or commonly accepted traits in a particular society that a third-person perspective may not recognize or agree with. These ideas taken into consideration can be attributed to someone who commits or practices evil acts. Although there are many potentially debated aspects on this topic, a couple in particular will be addressed using what is known from two authors; Edgar Allen Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne, employing their literary works, “The Cask of Amontillado” and “Young Goodman Brown”, it can be concluded that people are susceptible to evil and/or evil acts for a myriad of reasons. This conclusion is based independently on these two stories as they were expressed during their time. Edgar Allen Poe's story of Montresor and his thirst for revenge has ambiguity at the beginning of the story....