The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe - Book Report/Review Example

The change in the life of the unnamed character depicts his violent nature. Previously they were living happily with his pet and wife. He became verbally abusive to his wife and easily gets irritated when with friends. The cat (Pluto) and the narrator were fond of each other and their relationship lasted for many years (Allan 3). However, things took a twist when the narrator became an alcoholic which depicts the tragedy.  He is bitten by the cat out of panic when he felt their fondness was no longer visible as he thought the cat was avoiding him.

Whenever there was an argument, he would get physical with his wife. The alcoholic also had taken a toll on his life as he was dependent on alcohol excessively. Similarly, guilt is evident in Poe’s short story. The narrator is overtaken by guilt and remorse. This follows the actions that let him hurt his cat.  The changing mood swings affect the narrator despite his unconditional love for Pluto (Gargano 172). The narrator's feeling of remorse after he had removed Pluto's eye makes him wonder the cause of his black soul.

The spirit of perverseness overwhelms the narrator showing the nature of his question his changed behavior.   The result of violence leads him to hand the cat from a tree branch. However, owing to the changes mysterious incident occurred. His house got to fire the day he handed the cat. He even sees an image of Pluto on the wall which prompts him to feel scared and worried about the mysterious cat. The narrator is in denial concerning the two events being connected to his action of killing the cat.

The essence of self versus alter ego is evident in the short story. It is apparent that conflict created an imaginary ego that lets one think differently. The transformation of the narrator from a pet lover to a cat killer explains his cruel act (Gargano 178). Pluto also reincarnates as a new cat and is placed in the story to haunt the narrator (Allan 5). The guilty conscience makes the narrator aggressive as the fur on the cat’s chest drove him insane prompting him to kill his wife. Concealing the crime makes the narrator relieved.

However, he is haunted by the cat he killed as he is exposed. The cat wails at the wall he had covered the corpse of his wife.  The power given to death is employed by Poe in the short story. This is done by employing the memory that triggers the dead to haunt the living. Conclusively, the analysis of the short story helps reveal the interaction of the characters which creates various themes of the short story.  The literary style of Poe is unique and makes his short stories appealing to the reader despite the nature of being horrific.