The Black Cat

A detailed Summary of The Black Cat

Fiction Fundamentals, More Than Meets the Eye

The fundamental elements of short stories essentially hold the key to its success. For most, it is the plot, with its cunning twist and turns, to hold the reader in suspense. For Edgar Allen Poe, it is the exact opposite. He uses the narrator's inner turmoil and unruly state of mind to keep the reader's attention; much like a spider's web would do to keep its prey. Poe's, The Black Cat, portrays symbolism at its greatest through the ongoing use of irony and rapid development of the main character, to show how he is inevitably driven to madness.

Dramatic irony is used heavily and is extremely prevalent throughout the story. Within the first three lines, Poe takes a glimpse into the mind of the narrator when he states, "Yet, mad am I not - and very surely do I not dream" (131). Here Poe is making the attempt to assure his audience that the narrator is not crazy, yet as the story progresses, the audience is drawn to the conclusion that he is anything but a rational, sane, human being. As the narrator continues to unfold his story and confess his atrocious sins, he refers to the course of events in his life as an "ordinary succession of very natural causes and effects" (131). However, th

is is ironic, considering any sane human being could not begin to fathom these events as ordinary nor common. Perhaps where irony has its most influence is when the narrator progresses into his alcoholism and essentially allows it to take over his mind state. From the outset of the story, the narrator assures the audience that he has been an animal lover since his early childhood. This unconditional love and devotion carried over to his marriage and adult life. This is the epitome of irony because as the story continues, he indulges into alcohol which leads to the misuse and abuse of his animals. What is even more harshly ironic is the fact that he does not feel any remorse for his actions. Ultimately, his bitterness along with his addiction drives him to an unstable state of mind, which causes his inevitable downfall.

Although many of Poe's short stories are over shadowed with dramatic irony, the point of view from which they are told are equally as effective and significant. Often, Poe studies the mind and is conscious of the abnormalities of his narrators. Because "The Black Cat" is told from the first person point of view, the audience is caused to get a one sided story. Right off the bat, Poe jumps into the mind of the narrator, who quickly defends himself when he says, "I neither expect nor solicit belief...in a case where my very senses reject their own evidence" (131). Immediately, the narrator explains that he does not expect anyone to belie

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Approximate Word count = 985
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English