In the opening paragraph of Edgar Allan Poe's short story “The Black Cat,” the narrator states that
his “immediate purpose is to place before the world a series of mere household events
.” In other words, he wishes to explain to the world a series of events that occurred in his household.
What is the narrator's reason for telling his story?
The main purpose behind the narrator telling the story is
to prove that he is not mad
. He is quite defensive about being considered a loony, and asks, “How, then, am I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthily—how calmly I can tell you the whole story.” He even clarifies a bit later, saying, “Now this is the point.
Who is the narrator speaking to in The Black Cat?
In “The Black Cat,” the narrator begins the story by speaking
directly to the reader
. The narrator continues this practice periodically throughout the story. How does the author's use of this structure create mystery in the story?
Who tells the story in The Black Cat?
So, the unnamed narrator of “The Black Cat” is obviously
a “first person” narrator
. He's a “central narrator” because he's talking about things that he did or things that happened to him, rather than things he watched, or heard about.
“The Black Cat” is a story which reveals
the gradual heightening of guilt that stems from one's actions and its effect on the human psyche
. At the beginning of the book, the narrator relates the story of his descent into evildoing for the sake of evil.
How does the narrator's hearing affect the story?
How does the narrator's hearing affect the story?
It allows him to hear the war drum that forces him to kill
. The acute silence makes the narrator so uncomfortable, he must make the old man scream. The narrator thinks that only killing the old man will make all of the surrounding noises disappear.
How does the narrator dispose of the body?
9. How does the narrator dispose of the body?
The narrator cuts off the old man's head, arms, and legs in the tub, then places the pieces under the floor boards.
How does the narrator behave in The Black Cat?
The narrator commits
heinous acts while drunk
and although he feels remorse his guilt fuels paranoia and his actions pave the way to madness and self-destruction.
Is the narrator in The Black Cat mad?
Analysis. Like the narrator in Poe's “The Tell-Tale Heart”, the narrator of “The Black Cat”
is of questionable sanity
. In the beginning of the tale, the narrator says the reader would be “mad indeed” if the reader should expect a reader to believe the story, implying that he has already been accused of madness.
Is the narrator in The Black Cat trustworthy?
The narrator of the story “The Black Cat” can certainly be considered unreliable due to his alcoholism and his account of his sudden and drastic change in character. … This lack of understanding of his own cognitive functioning does not instill confidence that he is
a reliable narrator
.
What does the wife symbolize in The Black Cat?
The brief outline the narrator provides us of his wife suggests that
she is kind, giving, loyal, and even heroic at the end
. The narrator says she has “in a high degree, that humanity of feeling which had once been [his] distinguishing characteristic.” She is a highly sympathetic character, in her own right.
What events does The Black Cat prove?
What event from “The Black Cat” seems to prove the wife's superstition about cats to be correct? The superstition of the narrator's wife in “The Black Cat” that cats are witches in disguise seems to be proved correct when
their house catches fire the night after the narrator kills Pluto by hanging him from a tree
.
What does the wall symbolize in The Black Cat?
The wall did not present the slightest appearance of having been disturbed. So, the wall then seems to operate symbolically as
the attempt of the narrator to conceal his actions and to get away with his crime.
What is Black cat summary?
‘The Black Cat' is
the story of an alcoholic who is driven insane by his addiction
. He tortures and kills his cat, Pluto. Then, a stray cat that looks almost exactly like the cat he murdered except for a gallows mark on its chest follows him home and drives him even more insane.
How does The Black Cat begin?
He
starts physically and verbally abusing his wife and pets
. One night, the narrator comes home from partying completely drunk. Thinking Pluto didn't want to hang out with him, he grabs the cat and cuts his eye out with a pen-knife.
What is the message of The Black Cat?
The message of ‘The Black Cat' is that
guilt is inescapable and has far-reaching consequences
.
