'The Black Cat' by Edgar Allan Poe

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'The Black Cat' by Edgar Allan Poe

'The Black Cat' by Edgar Allan Poe is an American classic. It was first shown in the 'United States Saturday Post' on August 19, 1843. It is about a man that loses his sanity because of one cat. Poe wrote this story after his wife's and his mother's death. The narrator is self-destructive by killing or hurting all things that loved him and alcoholism. After a while he recognizes his self-destructiveness.

As the story begins, the narrator is in jail awaiting his execution which will take place the next day, ("But tomorrow I die") for the brutal murder of his wife. From this point, the rest of the story is told in flashback.

Although several characters are mentioned in this story, the true focus lies on the narrator who is left nameless. He was especially fond of animals, and he was pleased to find that his wife shared a similar fondness for pets. They had many pets including, "...birds, gold fish, a fine dog, rabbits, a small monkey, and a cat." The cat was a large, beautiful animal which was entirely black. His name was Pluto; he was the narrator's favourite pet. He alone fed him and looked after him. Pluto followed the narrator wherever he went. Occasionally, his wife would refer to an old superstitious belief that "all black cats (were) witches in disguise. Not that she was ever serious upon this point". But she never bothered with the cat, she left that to her husband, the narrator.
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Poe writes this story from the first person point of view. The perspective of the narrator, a man whose "...temperament and character (are changed) through the instrumentality of the Fiend Intemperance (alcohol)." Telling the story from the first person point of view amplifies the shock and horror. Poe often wrote from this point of view. Writing in this point of view almost invites the reader (as was the case in both "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Cask of Amontillado") into the story.

'The Black Cat' is one of the most powerful of Poe's stories. Poe constructed ...

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