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 …show more content…
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
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 …show more content…
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