The Black Cat Research Paper

Edgar Allen Poe experienced certain events in his lifetime that reflect the events that

occurred in his short stories. The connection between Poe’s life and events in “The Black Cat”

are strongly evident throughout the story. Poe’s burdens that he suffered through are relative to

the suffering of the characters in the short story. Edgar Allen Poe’s short story “The Black Cat”

is not only gothic; it also reflects events from his life.

To begin, according to M. H Abrams, a gothic novel must, “...evoke chilling terror by

exploiting mystery and a variety of horrors” (Abrams 78). Abrams intentionally creates an

atmosphere of eerie and terror. Similarly, in “The Black Cat” the narrator describes, “ ...by a

cry at first muffled and broken, like the
sobbing of a child... utterly anomalous and inhuman”

(Poe 5).
The description of the cry being anomalous and inhuman conveys a feeling of mystery.

It reminds the reader of a variety of horrors. Thus, the description of the muffled cry evokes a

chilling terror that supplements the atmosphere of mystery.

In addition to exploiting mystery and terror, Poe’s story also “Develops a brooding

atmosphere of glom and terror” (Abrams 79). By Poe, a setting of terror and gloom is created.

Correspondingly, in “The Black Cat”, Poe describes, “The curtains of my bed were in flames.

The whole the house was blazing” (Poe 2). The setting of the scorching house relays a feeling of

gloom and horror. It makes the reader feel terror, and puts the reader a realm of gloominess.

Thus, the vivid description and word choice of Poe, establishes an atmosphere of gloom and

Accordingly, Abrams describes gothic stories as, “...events which are uncanny or

macabre or melodramatically violent” (Abrams 78). Poe elaborates on eerie, violent, and

unexplainable events. Relevantly in, “The Black Cat” Poe describes, “One morning in cold

blood, I slipped a noose about its neck and hung it to the limb of a tree” (Poe 2). The
description

of the murderous act demonstrates a feeling of suffering and agony. It makes the reader feel

miserable when experiencing the melodramatic events in “The Black Cat”. In summation, Poe

exploits events in which are uncanny and dramatically violent.

Last, Abram describes gothic stories as “Nightmarish realm of uncanny terror, violence,

and cruelty” (Abrams 79). Poe adds vivid details of suffering and cruelty in his stories. Thus, in

the “The Black Cat” Poe writes, “I withdrew my arm from her grasp and buried the axe in her

brain. She fell dead on the spot, without a groan” (Poe 4). The violent killing of his own wife

conveys a feeling of anger and irrationality. It makes the reader feel agonized and dreadful.

Therefore, Poe illustrates dismay and sadism within the character in order to create a nightmarish

In conclusion, “The Black Cat” is not only gothic; it also reflects Poe’s life. According to

“Edgar Allen Poe”, Poe, “...drank only sporadically. Yet when he was depressed, as he was

quite often in his life...Poe was a problem drinker” (Poe 5). Poe was a heavy drinker, and drank

often because of his negative emotions. The incident could be the reason he cut the cat’s eye out

when he was drunk, or perhaps when he killed his own wife, and not feel any guilt. These events

had an impact on Poe’s writing, and are evidenced clearly in the text.