Essay about "Black Cat" Short Story Analysis

The story brings the reader in for a closer look at the mind and thought process of the narrator who killed an old man because of his “pale blue eye, with a film over it.” The narrator had no hatred for the old man at all yet was almost compelled to kill him simply because of his eye. The story goes on to describe how the narrator believes his thought process to be sane and even justified. This can be summarized when he says, “Now this is the point. You fancy me mad. Madmen knows nothing. But you should have seen me.” This seems to be an observable trait in human nature where we can see how the narrator, much like psychopathic murderers today, are delusional and even hysterical. In fact, one can even diagnose the narrator of numerous different psychological disorders through WebMD. The average person may see the actions of a murderer like the narrator to be crazy and even insane; however, the murderer himself//herself can still be delusional in thinking that he/she is sane. Although the readers may not relate to the narrator on a personal level, whether or not we approve of his actions, we can understand where he is coming

	In Edgar Allan Poe’s "The Black Cat," symbolism is used to show the narrator’s capacity for violence, madness, and guilt. "The Black Cat," written by Edgar Allan Poe serves as a reminder for all of us. The Capacity for violence and horror lies within each of

Without that initial statement, why would we think him mad? Then he says; "Now this is the point. You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing." How does he know that madmen know nothing? I wrote in my own journal once; "Insanity is not madness. Sanity is madness, if one can distinguish the difference between sanity and insanity, does that not then make you sane?" So then, if the narrator questions our thoughts on his sanity, he must then know the difference or that there is a difference between sanity and insanity, does that not then create some question as to his own sanity? I think from the very beginning he questioned his own sanity to himself thereby creating the question of insanity to the reader! Isn't that insane? (ha ha) But was he insane? Insane is defined in Webster's New Concise Dictionary as: "Not Sane; mentally deranged or unsound. Set apart for demented persons. Not Whole." OK, well we still cannot prove that he was or was not insane. Was he a psychopath? Some would say yes, most definitely. But what is a psychopath? Psychopaths have a character type that enables them to pursue pleasure with indifference to the suffering they cause others. Psychopaths are completely lacking such virtues as benevolence and compassion. In this story, the narrator says; "I loved the old man.

Within us, we have the dark and the bright side. We do the good, but have evil thoughts and some people act on it, thinking it may drag them to feel good in doing so. This informative short-story provides a perfect example on how we take control of our mind. Edgar Allan Poe, the author of “The Black Cat”, develops the central idea that violence solves problems. On the eve of an unnamed narrator’s death, he writes a story of how his life collapsed, turning around his love for everybody and falling into a big pile of a hopeless mess and madness by committing brutal actions.

Edgar Allen Poe was one of the most influential and important writers of the nineteenth century. He was the first writer to try to make a living only writing. One of Poe’s most popular short stories, “The Black Cat”, is considered horror fiction or gothic fiction which Poe is known for in his books and short stories because it was a popular genre during his days. In Poe’s short story, “The Black Cat”, Poe uses a horror fiction genre, a mentally deranged and evil narrator/character, and symbolism of death to make a thrilling story with tons of suspense, drama, and gruesome detail.

Edgar Allen Poe’s short story The Black Cat immerses the reader into the mind of a murdering alcoholic. Poe himself suffered from alcoholism and often showed erratic behavior with violent outburst. Poe is famous for his American Gothic horror tales such as the Tell-Tale Heart and the Fall of the House of Usher. “The Black Cat is Poe’s second psychological study of domestic violence and guilt. He added a new element to aid in evoking the dark side of the narrator, and that is the supernatural world.” (Womack). Poe uses many of the American Gothic characteristics such as emotional intensity, superstition, extremes in violence, the focus on a certain object and foreshadowing lead the reader through a series of events that are horrifying

Is “The Black Cat” a horror story? Yes! When the reader reads the black cat they can tell it’s a horror story. Many creepy things happen in “The Black Cat”. "The Black Cat" by Edgar Allan Poe is a horror story because the main characters insanity/addiction is an internal monster, the man commits the crimes in creepy places, and the reader cares more about what the main character is going to do next instead of the main character as a human.

The narrator makes it clear that it was the old man?s eye and not the old man himself that drove him to murder. He says ?I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult,?(Poe 721) which shows that he obviously cared for the man, but this also tells us that the narrator is definitely mentally ill, since no sane person could kill someone he loves, especially over an eye!

It 's autumn and, just like any other season, you 're hard at work at your barn. Your barn cats are hard at work, as well, hunting and munching on the overabundant rodent population nesting in your hay. In a brief moment of rest, you remove your gloves, wincing as the cold air hits your dry, cracked skin. One of the barn cats also joins you in your reprieve and you reach down to run your hands through her fur. Briefly, you notice a bit of nasal discharge and some scabs on her paws and face, but you chalk it up to the weather and get back to work.

     In Edgar Allan Poe’s short-story, “The Tell-Tale Heart,” the storyteller tries to convince the reader that he is not mad. At the very beginning of the story, he asks, "...why will you say I am mad?" When the storyteller tells his story, it's obvious why. He attempts to tell his story in a calm manner, but occasionally jumps into a frenzied rant. Poe's story demonstrates an inner conflict; the state of madness and emotional break-down that the subconscious can inflict upon one's self.

The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe definitely meets the criteria of a gothic story character wise. It order to give writings the label of a gothic literature the protagonist must start out reasonable but then ends up stuck in the mysteries of life, this certainly happens throughout the story. The man in this writing starts out living a normal life. He had a wife and the two of them loved animals so as said in the story they “had birds, gold-fish, a fine dog, rabbits, a small monkey, and a cat.” (3) He was always were fond of his animals and they always accepted him in return, especially the cat. As stated, “Pluto -- this was the cat’s name -- was my favorite pet and playmate.” (5) Even when the poor man became regularly intoxicated the cat

“The Black Cat” by Edgar Allan Poe is one of Poe’s greatest literary works that embodies his signature themes of death, violence, and darkness. Poe’s main character begins his narration of his horrible wrongdoings regarding them as a “series of mere household events” (Poe 705). However, this is where Poe’s satire and irony begins and the story progresses to show the deranged mindset of this character as he tries to justify his actions. As the main character proceeds to rationalize his crime, Poe is able to convey a sense of irony through his use of foreshadowing, metaphors and symbolism.

When the narrator relays the story the reader learns that he is awaiting execution for the murder of his wife (Piacentino 2). French critic Gerard Genette who specializes in the study of narrative theory notes “narration always says less than it knows, but it often makes known more then it says” (Piacentino 2). This is true of the autobiographical narrative of The Black Cat. The narrator is trying to present himself as a calm man with self control, however the more he talks the more he leaks his insanity. He offers rationalizations for his past actions, and facts about his childhood. The narrator, by the end of the story, has revealed himself to be a vicious and violent abuser of animals and people alike.  He

The answer that Ken Frieden gives to this question is a positive one. He downplays the contrast between the sane narrative and mad narrator: “The discrepancy between sane narrator and madman perhaps shows the error of assuming that linguistic normalcy implies psychological normalcy.” Friedan took it for granted that the narrator is mad because he kills an old man for no reason. He is doubly mad, Friedan said, when he imagines he hears the pounding of the dead man's heart and gives away the crime he had concealed. Yet the narrator tells a coherent tale, as if to demonstrate out of spite that he is sane, refuting the ordinary belief that he must be mad.

"I can't breath," panted Pickles as ha leaned on a wall coated in roses. Pickles pulled back, leaving a few thorns covered in blood. He stumbled on his feet and... whoa whoa whoa, what kind of heartless person flips to the middle of the book and starts reading?! Well since we are here I'm narrator, nice to meet you. Now back to page one and try again. Gosh people sometimes. Are you really counting all the pages and chapters, I mean come on. You know what I give up.