The Role of the Narrator in Edgar Allan Poes The Black Cat

The narrator in The Black Cat Edgar Allan Poe is well-known for his captivating tales of the macabre through eloquence and wit. In many of his short stories, Poe was able to exploit his audiences fears through allegory and descriptive details of murder and madness. One of Poes captivating, yet mad, narrators helms The Black Cat, a tale of paranoia, alcoholism, and murder. There are several things that make the narrator an intriguing character including his psychological state, the imp of the perverse, and the effect that alcoholism has on him. Like in many of his tales, the narrator murders both his beloved Pluto and his wife, on two separate occasions, yet denies that he has been stricken by madness and is instead intent on setting the record straight. While the narrator blames his actions on his alcoholism, it can be argued that his actions were not only influenced by alcohol, but also by his psyche. For example, he believes that his beloved Plutos doppelgà ¤nger is out to get him. Not only is the doppelgà ¤n ger a constant reminder of how badly the narrator treated his cat, but it also serves as a constant reminder of how he killed it; the doppelgà ¤nger is missing an eye, just like Pluto, and also has a mark that resembles a noose, which is how the narrator killed his cat. It is the doppelgà ¤ngers physical appearance that drives the narrator to believe that it is his duty to destroy it before it destroys him. While the narrator never intended on lashing outShow MoreRelatedSimilarities Between Edgar Allan Poe And Cask Of Amontillado1638 Words   |  7 PagesEdgar Allan Poe, a writer known for his mysterious and dark works, has had a lot of time perfecting his style of writing in short stories. His short stories, all usually dealing with the concept of death, relates back to his childhood, linking to his past experiences. As a small child, Poes father had abandoned his family, leaving his mother to take care of him and his sister. When Poe turned three, his mother had passed away due to tuberculosis. Exposed to death at such a young age, it connectsRead MoreThe Autobiographical Elements in the Works of Edgar Allan Poe1663 Words   |  7 PagesThe Autobiographical Elements in the Works of Edgar Allan Poe There is no exquisite beauty without some strangeness in the proportions (Biography on Poe 8). Edgar Alan Poe endured a very difficult life and this is evident in his literary style. He was once titled the master of the macabre. One of the aspects in his life with which he struggled was social isolation. He used this as a topic in a number of poems and short stories. Poes life was also filled with periods of fear and irrationalityRead MoreEdgar Allan Poe s The Raven, The Black Cat And The Tell Tale Heart ``1158 Words   |  5 PagesExtension English Edgar Allan Poe Writing Task Weland La Edgar Allan Poe is a writer renowned for his incorporation of macabre themes into his variety of texts. 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I Suspect that use of irony in Edgar Allan Poes short story, quot;The Black Cat,quot; is one of the main points which allows the hidden character of the Narrator, and the truth of the situation to be revealed and helps theRead MoreInfluence That Endures Ever More: Edgar Allan Poe908 Words   |  4 PagesInfluence That Endures Ever More: Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe once said, â€Å"Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality.† Edgar Allan Poe was one of the most influential people in literary history and his words had the great power to impress the mind. More than 150 years after the death of Edgar Allan Poe, his writings are still influencing and inspiring writers today. Edgar Allan Poe was one of the a greatest literary influences of the 19th century andRead More Biography of Edgar Allen Poe and His Poetry Essay1060 Words   |  5 PagesBiography of Edgar Allen Poe and His Poetry A Dream Within a Dream Take this kiss upon the brow! And, in parting from you now, Thus much let me avow: You are not wrong who deem That my days have been a dream; Yet if hope has flown away In a night, or in a day, In a vision, or in none, Is it therefore the less gone? All that we see or seem Is but a dream within a dream. I stand amid the roar Of a surf-tormented shore, And I hold within my hand Grains of the golden sand-- How fewRead MoreA Villain Nonetheless A great hero is often classified as such due to their outstanding ability to1100 Words   |  5 Pagesthe villain may just be a misguided, tortured soul who deserves pity. In the case of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Black Cat, the protagonist, the story’s narrator, slowly forms into the villain of the tale. Poe’s story is unconventional in that it only contains the villain and his victims, lacking any substantial heroic figure. The reader is left with no one to root for and no surety that justice will prevail. The Black Cat is a dark story with a villain menacing enough to rival even the greatest of antagonistsRead MoreAnalysis Of Allen Poe s Dark Writing 2127 Words   |  9 Pageshave read. He’s probably one of the best because of how he lived his life and how difficult it was. I could say he’s a great dark writer because of how dark his life was. Some of his works that include The Raven, The Cask of Amontillado, and The Black Cat that I will talking about later one. Edgers live began on January 19, 1809 when he was born. His mother and father were Elizabeth Arnold Poe and David Poe Jr. His mother was a British actress and his father an actor. Poe didn’t really get know hisRead More Poe’s Life†¦ At the Tip of a Pen Essay2201 Words   |  9 Pagesnatural inspiration that influences the creation of these works is derived from the life and the experiences of the creator. For some, these tales become stories and those stories become novels, but for one man it meant so much more. The works of Edgar Allan Poe became his life; he expressed every feeling and every moment of his existence through ink and paper. Poe involved his entire life in his writing, leaving no element of the story untouched by his trademark of a past. His work became so uniqueRead MoreThe Black Cat, By Edgar Allan Poe1202 Words   |  5 PagesEdgar Allan Poe is prominent for his literacy style of horror and mystery, in which he had written an innumerable number of short stories and poems in his lifetime. Evidently, many of his writings like, â€Å"The Black Cat,† â€Å"William Wilson,† and â€Å"The Raven,† share the same style, as their protagonists’ demonstrated a paucity of reliability. Readers often become engaged with how the main character of each text showed their rivulet of tales that seem to be quite fictitious. Available evidence suggests