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Comparison Between 'The Black Cat And A Rose For Emily'

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Throughout quarter one, we have had an in depth look at gothic literature. However only two stories stand out to me. One is “A Rose for Emily” and it is a southern gothic story. “A Rose for Emily” centers around the life of a southern lady named Emily who is a deranged character. During her youth, her father chased away any suitors turning her into a spinster. After her father died, she was left alone in a dilapidating house with a negro man servant. Unexpectedly, Homer Barron popped up and toyed with her feelings. Unfortunately, he wasn’t the marrying kind and he enjoyed the company of men. Still, Emily thought they were going to get married and when he spurned her away, she couldn’t bear the thought. Therefore, to keep him at her side she …show more content…

The plot centers around a man and his dealings with a black cat. In the beginning, he is a benevolent man who loves animals dearly. He has a black cat that he is especially fond of but, as time marches on he develops a taste for alcohol. The black cat was called Pluto. The alcohol twists him into a wretched creature. In time, his beloved black cat turns into the object of his irrational outbursts. Then, one wine filled night the narrator left a visible mark on Pluto by removing one of its eyes. Seeing it every day made the narrator very guilty. Therefore, he needed to kill it. He did so, by hanging it. Afterward, his house caught on fire but, it left a single wall that outlined the cat. Having a single wall left after everything had been engulfed in fire is like the story “There Will Come Soft Rains” which has a lone wall that survived the torrent of flames. Also, having the outline of the cat’s carcass prominently on the last standing wall was particularly effective in creating an atmosphere of horror in the story because it’s as if Pluto is still watching him. To resume, a while later the narrator stumbled across another cat. Pluto and the black cat both are very large and they resemble each other almost perfectly. The only difference between them is that the black cat has white splotch. As time passes, the cat’s white mark gradually looks like a noose. Uncoincidentally, the narrator killed Pluto with a noose. The narrator also murders his wife because she didn’t want him to kill the black cat. When they went down to the cellar of an old building the black cat followed them. Following the couple down the steps vexed the narrator so, much that he wanted to kill it. Quickly, the wife stopped him. He became so enraged that he put an axe through her brain. After killing her he placed her dead body into a spot in the wall. This is much like the way Montresor killed Fortunato by putting him into the wall

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