Edgar Allen Poe’s terrifying short story “The Black Cat” was released in 1843. The narrative exemplifies the horror subgenre for which Poe was renowned. The protagonist and narrator of the story is an anonymous guy who lends his narration a sense of mystery and unreliability. The narrator is shown as an alcoholic who exhibits growing levels of violence, brutality to animals, and general psychosis. This essay discusses a study of the narrator’s character and the factors that shape his entire persona. Additionally, the essay will explore a psychological theory that explains the narrator’s character in the story.
The narrator of “The Black Cat” is a multi-layered, multifaceted character. At the beginning of the novel, he presents himself as a lover of animals, especially cats, whom he treats with respect and kindness. He goes out of his way to talk about how much he loved his first cat, Pluto, and how he used to play with and pet him all the time (Fouzia, np). Yet as the narrative goes on, we notice the narrator’s more sinister side. He acts violently toward Pluto more and more until he blinds him in a fit of wrath. This violent outburst hints at the narrator’s inevitable spiral into lunacy and brutality.
The narrator’s drinking is among the characteristics that stand out the most about him. He admits to drinking intensely and regularly throughout the story (Fouzia, np). He explains how drinking has made him agitated, suspicious, and prone to violent outbursts. He even acknowledges that while intoxicated, he occasionally mistreated his wife. This feature of the narrator’s personality aims to make the reader feel uneasy and uncomfortable. It also contributes to the story’s overarching atmosphere of dread.
The narrator’s sense of remorse and paranoia are two more noteworthy aspects of his personality. He gradually believes that the cat is haunting him and following him around after blinding Pluto (Fouzia, np). Wherever he turns, he sees the image of the cat, and soon, remorse overtakes him. He commits even more horrific crimes, including hanging the cat from a tree and ultimately killing his wife, resulting from his remorse and anxiety. The story’s premise revolves around the narrator’s guilt and paranoia, which adds to the tension and suspense as the reader witnesses the narrator’s spiral into lunacy.
The narrator exhibits similar sadistic impulses. As the narrative goes on, it becomes evident that the narrator enjoys hurting other people, including animals and finally humans (Fouzia, np). He enjoys hanging Pluto from a tree and talks about how happy he was to blind Pluto. Even after killing his wife, he enjoys keeping her body inside the confines of his house. The narrator’s vicious tendencies further highlight his spiral into madness and make him an even more unsettling figure.
The narrator Superstitious, narrator is a superstitious individual who frequently believes in omens and paranormal events. He becomes increasingly confident that the black cat he meets is an evil spirit haunting him (Fouzia, np). His actions become more chaotic and violent as a result of this mindset. His superstitious beliefs give his already complicated character another dimension and emphasize his decline into madness.
Similarly, the narrator is unable to restrain his impulsivity. The narrator is shown to be unable to control his impulses throughout the novel, especially when it comes to his drunkenness and violent outbursts. He describes how drinking makes him agitated and prone to rages, and he acknowledges that he is powerless over these impulses. The narrator becomes more frightened and unsettled due to this lack of control, which adds to his natural feeling of instability and unpredictability.
Last, the narrator’s unreliability is an essential facet of his personality. As the story goes on, it becomes evident that the narrator could be a more trustworthy storyteller. He frequently contradicts himself and admits to lying. For instance, he initially identifies himself as an animal lover before turning increasingly nasty toward them. The reader is made to feel unsettled and uneasy by this unreliability. It also heightens the suspense and mystery of the story as a whole.
Psychology theory.
Using the lens of psychoanalytic theory, notably Sigmund Freud’s idea of the unconscious mind, the narrator’s persona in “The Black Cat” demonstrates several characteristics that can be examined. According to Freud, the conscious mind, preconscious mind, and unconscious mind are the three components of the human mind. The portion of the mind that is conscious of our ideas and emotions is the conscious mind. The portion of the mind that retains easily retrievable knowledge but is not now in our conscious awareness is called the preconscious mind (Salmon, 258). On the other hand, thoughts, emotions, and desires that are suppressed or otherwise kept from our cognitive awareness are found in the unconscious mind.
The psychoanalytic theory can be used to interpret the narrator of “The Black Cat” to understand his actions better. Particularly, it is possible to interpret his violent outbursts and sadistic tendencies as expressing his suppressed wants and feelings. The way the narrator treats his animals, especially the black cat, is one illustration of this. The narrator is introduced at the story’s start as a gentle and kind animal lover. But as the narrative goes on, it becomes evident that he has suppressed his feelings of rage and aggression toward his animals. He treats them with increasing cruelty, which eventually results in the killing of his wife.
The unconscious mind hypothesis put out by Freud helps to explain this tendency. Freud believed that suppressed feelings and urges could surface in harmful ways. It is possible to interpret the narrator’s violent outbursts and brutality against animals as an expression of the aggression and anger he has suppressed toward his wife and other people. Also, the psychoanalytic theory might be used to analyze the narrator’s alcoholism. Freud thought using drugs or alcohol was a type of self-medication and a technique to deal with suppressed feelings and impulses. The narrator’s binge drinking can be seen as a coping mechanism for his suppressed emotions and desires, especially his feelings of paranoia and guilt feelings.
In conclusion, the anonymous narrator in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Black Cat” is fascinating and unsettling. Poe develops a figure that is both sympathetic and repellent, relatable and alienating, by the use of vivid details in both conversation and narrative description. We can learn more about the narrator’s personality and motivations by scrutinizing his characteristics and actions. In the end, the tale serves as a terrifying examination of the murky corners of the human psyche and the evil potential that resides in every one of us. Poe develops a menacing and unforgettable figure using these numerous components, and his character’s journey into madness serves as a cautionary tale about the perils of unrestrained guilt and anxiety. Also, we can learn more about the character and the reasons behind his actions.
Work Cited
Fouzia, Djaafour. Interpretation of the Symbol Black Cat in Edgar Allan Poe’s Short Story. Diss. 2016.
Salmon, Wesley C. “Psychoanalytic theory and evidence.” Psychoanalysis scientific method and philosophy. Routledge, 2020. 252-267.
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