Running head: THE BLACK CAT 2 THE BLACK CAT 2 The Black Cat Name: Institution: The Black Cat Edgar Allen Poe was an American literary critic, editor and author. He is known for the short stories that he wrote about mystery. He played a critical part in shaping the American literature as he was one of the earliest individuals to start writing short stories in the country. Born in Boston, He was the second child in his family. The Black Cat is one of the short stories written by the author. The story is widely known for its uniqueness and the manner in which he approached it. Ideally, the short story is praised for its creativity in the manner in which basic social issues in life was approached by the author. Elements of family and pets are clearly stated explaining the importance of having a complete home. The paper entails a critical analysis if the Black Cat. The author uses the story to explain the ability of the mind of a person to conduct an assessment to itself. It begins y explaining how the narrator in the story realizes that his brain condition is getting worse. He comes to the conclusion that he needs to take action before it becomes late. The psychology of guilt is the main aspect of the story. A murderer commits crime as the crime pursues him to reveal himself (Poe, 1995). This is a critical aspect of the story that explains the ability of the author to approach important issues in life in a creative perspective. The aspect makes the story equally effective as it addresses the necessity of creativity in understanding how topics needs to be approached when it comes to understanding the human mind. Ideally, the short story is a pure element of creativity. Poe begins the story by the narrator explaining how he lived with a happy family. The family members included the wife and a pet cat. Later on, the narrator begun to take alcohol which was the turning point of his life as things began to change. Alcohol made him to become easily irritated with small issues affecting the family members negatively. “One night, returning home, much intoxicated, from one of my haunts about town, I fancied that the cat avoided my presence.” He also begins quite uneasy among his close friends. Later on, he began becoming verbally abusive to his wife. It did not take long before he began physically abusing his wife (Poe, 1995). Alcohol seemed to have taken control of his life and led him to change his normal habits and become a violent individual. The author addresses the negative effects of alcoholism by explaining the negative effect that it had to the family members of the narrator. Previously, the narrator used to love his family. His love for the wife was unconditional. He also had deep affection for the cat as he spent not of his time pampering it. The narrator later changes his attitude and begins becoming violent against animals. The aspect led to him hanging the cat. He did the action after he came home drunk. As time pa ...

1. Running head: THE BLACK CAT 2
THE BLACK CAT 2
The Black Cat
Name:
Institution:
The Black Cat
Edgar Allen Poe was an American literary critic, editor
and author. He is known for the short stories that he wrote about
mystery. He played a critical part in shaping the American
literature as he was one of the earliest individuals to start
writing short stories in the country. Born in Boston, He was the
second child in his family. The Black Cat is one of the short
stories written by the author. The story is widely known for its
uniqueness and the manner in which he approached it. Ideally,
the short story is praised for its creativity in the manner in
which basic social issues in life was approached by the author.
Elements of family and pets are clearly stated explaining the

2. importance of having a complete home. The paper entails a
critical analysis if the Black Cat.
The author uses the story to explain the ability of the mind
of a person to conduct an assessment to itself. It begins y
explaining how the narrator in the story realizes that his brain
condition is getting worse. He comes to the conclusion that he
needs to take action before it becomes late. The psychology of
guilt is the main aspect of the story. A murderer commits crime
as the crime pursues him to reveal himself (Poe, 1995). This is a
critical aspect of the story that explains the ability of the author
to approach important issues in life in a creative perspective.
The aspect makes the story equally effective as it addresses the
necessity of creativity in understanding how topics needs to be
approached when it comes to understanding the human mind.
Ideally, the short story is a pure element of creativity.
Poe begins the story by the narrator explaining how he
lived with a happy family. The family members included the
wife and a pet cat. Later on, the narrator begun to take alcohol
which was the turning point of his life as things began to
change. Alcohol made him to become easily irritated with small
issues affecting the family members negatively. “One night,
returning home, much intoxicated, from one of my haunts about
town, I fancied that the cat avoided my presence.” He also
begins quite uneasy among his close friends. Later on, he began
becoming verbally abusive to his wife. It did not take long
before he began physically abusing his wife (Poe, 1995).
Alcohol seemed to have taken control of his life and led him to
change his normal habits and become a violent individual. The
author addresses the negative effects of alcoholism by
explaining the negative effect that it had to the family members
of the narrator.
Previously, the narrator used to love his family. His love
for the wife was unconditional. He also had deep affection for
the cat as he spent not of his time pampering it. The narrator
later changes his attitude and begins becoming violent against
animals. The aspect led to him hanging the cat. He did the

3. action after he came home drunk. As time passed by, another cat
came to live with the family. Soon rage takes over him leading
to the narrator killing his wife. The act of violence could be
directing to his drinking habits as he changes immediately after
he became an alcoholic. When he was sober, he was a loving
person towards people and animals. This is a main factor that
the narrator attributes to be the cause of his problems as it led
to the death of close people around him.
He turns his blame to the spirits that he thinks possess him
once he gets drunk. He believes that a supernatural power grabs
him and makes him to change his attitudes towards other issues.
Later on, Poe reveals on how the narrator was not only violent
towards his family but also other animals. Donkeys, apes and
dogs were all victims of his violent acts. It is evident that liquor
turned his life around but the author seemed to live in denial
that spirits were the ones making him to be violent (Poe, 1995).
The issue makes him to turn on himself s guilt possesses his
life. This is an act that makes him to change the manner in
which he perceives things. He in turns on himself and begins
cutting himself with a knife.
The theme of loyalty is evident in the short story. At the
beginning, the narrator was loyal to the pet cat and his wife.
Poe shows the loyalty by explaining how the author used to take
care of the family. At some certain point the narrator gorges out
the eye of his pet. Despite the cruelty, the pet remained loyal to
him. “In the meantime the cat slowly recovered. The socket of
the lost eye presented, it is true, a frightful appearance, but he
no longer appeared to suffer any pain.” The aspect of loyalty is
reflected in the narrator’s wife, the wife remains loyal to her
husband despite of his violent nature and his alcoholism habit.
The loyalty later cost the family members lives as the narrator
killed them. Ideally, Poe exploits the act of loyalty in a unique
manner that is quite effective in understanding the manner in
which issues need to be approached when it came to dealing
with the complexities of alcoholism and family which are key
aspects discussed in the short story.

4. The element of symbolism is an aspect that the author
exploits during the activity. This is an activity that revolves
around the creation characters and incidences that symbolizes
specific issues in the short narrative. Black cat was used to
symbolize the act of loyalty that exists among the family
members. “One night as I sat, half stupified, in a den of more
than infamy, my attention was suddenly drawn to some black
object, reposing upon the head of one of the immense hogsheads
of Gin, or of Rum, which constituted the chief furniture of the
apartment.” This is a critical aspect of the study that provides a
broader scope on how families reflect the personal needs of a
person within a family context (Poe, 1995). The use of
nightmares in the story also create a perfect act of symbolism.
The narrator continues to have night mares about the black cat
as it keeps on appearing and disappearing in his sleep. This is
an act that affects his life. Ideally, the nightmare symbolizes the
guilt that the narrator had to endure after committing the evil
acts.
The author applies the first-person point of view. This is a
critical aspect that the author uses to explain the story. The
narrator is also the person in the story. The issue creates a clear
picture of the tory s one understands the insight thoughts of the
narrator and also the things that surrounds him. “On the night of
the day on which this cruel deed was done, I was aroused from
sleep by the cry of fire. The curtains of my bed were in flames.”
The application of the technique promotes a clear understanding
on how the topic needs to be approached when it comes to
addressing critical issues that involves the ability of the author
to deal with issues that affect the manner in which they relate
with one another. The use of the pronouns such as I and me
explains the narrator’s point of view which is a clear factor that
makes the to be more interesting to the reader. Therefore, the
approach provides a clear understanding to the topic that is
being addressed.
Poe applies a Horror fiction in the narration of the story. It
is evident that reading through the story creates the element of

5. fear to the reader. At first the story begins y explaining the
peaceful nature of the family members. Later on, the horror
aspect appears when the narrator becomes a drunkard. The scene
in which he gorged out the eyes of the cat created fear as it was
an act of brutality. Later on, the narrators murders both the cat
and his wife (Poe, 1995). The element of fear is evident in each
of the act as the narrator commit the act in a brutal manner.
Ideally, the aspect needs to be approached in a unique way
because it addresses basic issues that involves family troubles.
He explains it through the use of horror as the genre.
The author applies multiple tone in the short story.
Reading through the tory, multiple tones continue to appear as
the author focuses on other issues. The use of threatening tones
is evident in most parts of the narration. The incidence in which
the narrator came home drunk led to the creation of the tone. He
used to threaten the wife with evil things which seemed to
affect the manner in which the author approached basic issues
in life. Ideally, it is a critical aspect that made the theme of the
tory to be clearer. The use of a sad tone is evident in the scene
where the author gorged out an eye of the cat. The cat remained
loyalty despite to the brutality which was pure act of evil by the
narrator. Therefore, multiple tones are applied in the story.
The author opts for an attractive topic for the story. The
Black Cat is a catchy topic that a attention that catches the
reader. The word black creates a theme of either fear and
violence which is a key aspect that leads the reader to
effectively read through the story (Poe, 1995). The topic also
explains the element of creativity that Poe had in the narration
of his short stories and poetry. Ideally, Poe ensured that he
chooses topic that explain the theme of the story and at the
same time creates an underlying respect to how the topics needs
to be addressed as they were critical issues of concern in this
particular case. They lead to a wider understanding on how
issues were supposed to be approached and the necessity if
broadly conceptualizing relevant topics. Therefore, it creates an
acute understanding of the lessons of the short story.

6. In summary, the paper entails a critical analysis if the
Black Cat. The author uses the story to explain the ability of the
mind of a person to conduct an assessment to itself. It begins y
explaining how the narrator in the story realizes that his brain
condition is getting worse. He turns his blame to the spirits that
he thinks possess him once he gets drunk. He believes that a
supernatural power grabs him and makes him to change his
attitudes towards other issues. Later on, Poe reveals on how the
narrator was not only violent towards his family but also other
animals. Previously, the narrator used to love his family. His
love for the wife was unconditional. He also had deep affection
for the cat as he spent not of his time pampering it.
References
Poe, E. A. (1995). The black cat, and other stories. Köln
DiYanna, Robert. Literature Reading Fiction, Poetry, and
Drama. New York, NY: Mc-Graw Hill, 2007. Print.