Short story analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Short story analysis - Essay Example The Black Cat, after its diabolical murder, is resurrected and is hungry for vengeance and destroys the narrator psychologically. Stunning insanity Cat symbolizes misfortune as per Western traditions. Black cat in the story of Edgar Poe is the cause of double misfortune, when it lives and on its death. Cat’s mysterious gaze has the guile and is the pointer to uncertainties and in Celtic lore they are considered evil and sacrificial animals. They have the ability to see at night (darkness) which represents negativities and thus they are part of the underworld. Symbolically the veil of night shifts one’s perception of reality. The story highlights the effect of stunning insanity. The narrator tells how sanity turns to madness, the reason being obsession with the black cat. Evil has seized him; cruelty to animals becomes his way of life and finally drives him to take the life of his wife and the subsequent sin of trying to conceal her death. That he is alcoholic makes the characterization even more diabolic. Pluto, God of the underworld. Symbolically, the Black Cat is Pluto, the Roman God of the underworld. Pluto controls the hell and symbolizes the devil. ... The narrator’s action in gorging out the eye of his pet animal, the black cat, is mind-boggling. It amounts to torture of the ultimate level. To conceal his guilt, the narrator commits another senseless act. He hangs the cat in the backyard but the evil strikes back. The cat resurrects and itches for revenge, the narrator’s house is on fire and burns to the ground and he observes the image of a large black cat originating through the fire on the only wall that was still intact. He can still see the rope tied to its neck. After the fire, the narrator sees a black cat resembling Pluto, in a bar and takes it home. He observes next morning that the second cat is without one eye, which reminds him of his dark deeds. Conclusion The narrator does not lead the readers on a wild goose chase and is sane enough to understand the reactions of the readers for his insane acts. The details given in the story are not by a dreamer, but the one who knows the consequences of his ill-bodin g quests. He does not expect sympathy or rejection by the readers and his intentions about story-telling are deliberate. His psyche drives him to the point of insanity and at that stage he just cannot help acting diabolically. He expects them to think about the unthinkable and believe the unbelievable and respect the