Final - Analysis of The Black Cat

In the Edgar Allen Poe tale “Black Cat,” the murders of a black cat and the wife of the narrator are avenged in a most ironic, seemingly paranormal twist of fate. Taken from a first person perspective, presumably from prison, the unnamed narrator details the morbid events of his decline. Overcome by perverseness and drink, he is coerced to murder his beloved cat and wife. The murderer is exposed to the police by a second black cat, bearing a striking resemblance to the first, in a tantalizing tale of ironic justice.

The story begins with the narrator’s account of a normal childhood, marriage, and an affinity both he and his wife share for animals. They surround themselves with a variety of pets including a dog, monkey, rabbits, birds, a gold-fish, and one cat. The cat, named Pluto, is stark black, the fact of which strikes a notion of superstition in the narrator; black cats are generally regarded, in his day, to be witches in disguise. Witch or no, the narrator and black form an affectionate relationship with one another.

At the onset of the story, the narrator is a simple, good natured animal lover. Over the course of years, however, his manner turns sinister and perverted. He becomes increasingly temperamental, easily agitated, and physically abusive towards the animals; the exception, of course, being the black cat. If only for a time, the affection the man has for the cat reprieves it from the maltreatment endured by the other animals.

In a drunken rage one evening, the man turns his aggression on the cat, gouging out one of his eyes. The cat recovers but is eventually murdered by way of hanging at the hands of the narrator – consumed by the “spirit of perverseness.” The narrator’s house caught fire a short time following the heinous murder, prompting a downward spiral into despair and destitute for the narrator and his wife. (599)

The murderer was drawn to a peculiarity in the charred ruins of the dilapidated house - an impression of a cat with a noose around its neck ablazoned onto the surface of a surviving bedroom wall. Presumed to have been cut down by an onlooker, further investigation by the narrator found the dead cat missing from the tree where he was hanged.

One night, a big black cat appeared sitting on top a “boar’s head” (63 gallons 1) container of rum in front of the narrator. The cat followed him home, signaling the start of a brutal relationship filled with bitterness and disgust. Two oddities on the new cat, a white patch of fur resembling the outline of a cat and noose and a missing eye reminded the narrator of the atrocities he inflicted on his late hanged feline friend. This incites a rage and contempt towards the cat that grows into an “absolute dread of the beast.” (600)
In a rage, the narrator takes an ax to the contemptuous cat, but is stopped by his wife mid-act. He turned his frenzy onto his wife burying the ax in her brain, killing her instantly. He disposes her body in a false chimney in the cellar, walling up the evidence with brick and mortar.

For several days following the incident, the narrator passed the time without remorse for his crime. On the fourth day, police, inquiring on the disappearance of this wife, called on the man to show them around the property. He leads them to the cellar whereby, confident in his craftsmanship, he challenges the men to examine the superior construction of the building. In the corner of the room they hear a small, muffled cry coming from behind the wall. The police break apart the wall to discover the body of his murdered wife with the black cat alive on top of her head, meowing loudly, alerting them of the narrator’s crimes.

This tale demonstrates a common theme in Poe’s writing using animals, either in physical form or imagery, as crucial elements to the plot – a smart, versatile method for playing on the psyche and emotions of readers. Of the two felines in this story, the first represents both the birth of a loving relationship and the decline of the narrator’s good nature. The affectionate bond with the first cat creates an initial likeability and association with the narrator. As can be found in most often with Poe’s stories involving animals, the purpose for the second cat is to elicit a connection with the paranormal through its mysterious appearance, features, and incessant affection for the murderer; the appearance which signifies the paradoxical demise of the protagonist.

- Justice for the victimized comes in the form of the victim itself. -

Footnotes

1 - According to “Traditional Weights and Measurements for the Wine and Spirit Trade” on SafeShop.co.nz, a “Boar’s Head” is equivalent to 63 U.S. Gallons. https://www.safeshop.co.nz/meenans/pdf/traditional-weights-measures.pdf

References

Poe, Edgar A. Poe: Poetry, Tales & Selected Essays - Library of America College Edition. Library of America, 1 Oct. 1996.