Edgar Allan Poe's The Black Cat
Many people believe that black cats bring bad luck or represent death. The superstition and myths of cats still remain. I believe that the story “The Black Cat” illustrates well that belief, within this story of a man with misfortunate events throughout his life. Edgar Allan Poe is the author of The Black Cat. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts and was the son of two actors. Poe was very much involved with literature and he was an American writer, editor, and literary critic. Well-known for his poetry and and short stories about mystery he was also given the credit to the rise of the genre, science fiction. “The Black Cat” is a short story of a man that is in a prison cell writing down his tragic life events that was once kind and loving
in his childhood and was very fond of animals. He gets married and his favorite pet is his cat Pluto. However he becomes an alcoholic and abuses his wife and cat. He hangs his cat and that night his house catches on fire and he believes that he sees his dead cat. This murder that he commits haunts him and he finds a cat that looks just like Pluto. He also kills his second cat and kills his wife.
The black cat was symbolic in the story. The narrator himself stated that he was fond of animals and this his favorite pet was a black cat named, pluto. His wife had the belief that black cats are witches in disguise. After he kills pluto he begins to see the cat in the form of a spirit or ghost and even finds one in a alley that looks just like pluto. This is why the black cat is an important symbolic figure, it can be referenced back to the belief that black cats are witches and that it is coming back to haunt him for the immoral act of killing the animal. Another element that was vital to this story was the imagery that the author created. The diction played a role in the vivid imagery that was created as the reader reads. An example from the text is “there is something in the unselfish and self-sacrificing love of a brute” it provides a image in your head of an adorable animal that is lovable in those complex words, it was effective in demonstrating that picture with the words.
Ultimately the symbolism of the cat and the diction that was used was effective in “The Black Cat”. The elements played a vital role in the story which allowed the author to illustrate the myth of black cats.
in his childhood and was very fond of animals. He gets married and his favorite pet is his cat Pluto. However he becomes an alcoholic and abuses his wife and cat. He hangs his cat and that night his house catches on fire and he believes that he sees his dead cat. This murder that he commits haunts him and he finds a cat that looks just like Pluto. He also kills his second cat and kills his wife.
The black cat was symbolic in the story. The narrator himself stated that he was fond of animals and this his favorite pet was a black cat named, pluto. His wife had the belief that black cats are witches in disguise. After he kills pluto he begins to see the cat in the form of a spirit or ghost and even finds one in a alley that looks just like pluto. This is why the black cat is an important symbolic figure, it can be referenced back to the belief that black cats are witches and that it is coming back to haunt him for the immoral act of killing the animal. Another element that was vital to this story was the imagery that the author created. The diction played a role in the vivid imagery that was created as the reader reads. An example from the text is “there is something in the unselfish and self-sacrificing love of a brute” it provides a image in your head of an adorable animal that is lovable in those complex words, it was effective in demonstrating that picture with the words.
Ultimately the symbolism of the cat and the diction that was used was effective in “The Black Cat”. The elements played a vital role in the story which allowed the author to illustrate the myth of black cats.