Interpretation of Edgar Allan Poe's The Black Cat

Lynching. House fires. Animal Abuse. Spousal Murder. How much darker can a story get? In his typical way, Poe wrote another chillingly dark short story entitled The Black Cat. When the unruly, drunken narrator's habit gets out of control, he turns into a violent, mean man who torments his most beloved pet and adored wife. The effects of alcohol play an important role in the events of the story which cause the narrator to become "insane."

The beginning of , the narrator is confessing that he is not mad, but needs to "unburthen my soul" or come to terms with his life thorough explaining his misdeeds. However, the nature in which he expresses himself seems to claim otherwise in reference to his sanity, especially when the story unfolds.He emphatically explains that happenings he deems "mere household events" have frightened him and destroyed him to the point that he cannot figure them out logically. He hopes that thorough his confession he may find that someone will decipher what is happening to him.

Referencing back to his childhood, the narrator explains his particular fondness and tenderness towards animals as a child. This trait continued into his adulthood, and he found that animals often made more faithful friends than other people did. Even his young wife enjoyed animals as well and added many more pets to the household. One of the most favored pets she brought into their domestic life was a black cat - Pluto.

As black cats are often noted in witch lore, they are associated with witchcraft, dark magic, and thought to be harbingers of bad luck. The young wife of the narrator jokingly notes that the cat is unnaturally intelligent and therefore could be a witch in disguise.

As the narrator's misuse of alcohol grows out of control, he begins to mistreat his beloved animals. All but one, Pluto. The narrator uses the vocabulary "disease" and "fiend temperament" to note the severe nature of his alcoholism. And finally, it seems as if he cannot control himself enough to even refrain from harming his peculiar yet most beloved black cat Pluto. After a night out drinking, he comes home to find that Pluto has avoided him which is in contrast to how he previously behaved, when he would follow the narrator at all times out of affection. In a rage, the narrator takes a pen-knife and cuts his eye right out from its socket. This is all due to his inability to handle his alcohol abuse problem.

Further into the story, the narrator is transformed into paranoid, mean spirited person due to his struggle with drinking. And, uncharacteristic to how he previously was, he murdered both his beloved pet and his young wife on separate occasions. His pet was lynched by him, yet somehow, another cat with white marking that resembled gallows appeared. His wife was axed by the narrator after trying to protect the cat from his wrath. The story concludes with his being taken by the police, due to the yelp of a cat that had been entrapped with the dead wife's body that the narrator hid. So, he finally gets punished for his misdeeds and writes the story/ confession as he's about to get killed as punishment for his crimes.


In summation, Alcohol made a monster of this previously affectionate and animal loving husband. In a short span of time, he has killed both of the things he enjoyed most in his life: his wife and his pet. He blames the "Imp of Perverseness" instead of himself for the deeds in which makes him question of his sanity. However, It is not his sanity that needs questioning, it's his self control with consumption of alcohol. He makes no efforts to stop and therefore, pursues a violent life that affects his two most beloved that in turn kills himself.