THE BLACK CAT

At a Glance
In "The Black Cat," an unreliable first-person narrator relates how alcohol and self-deception led him to kill his
pets and murder his wife. Feeling guilty after the murder of his beloved black cat, Pluto, the narrator adopts
another cat—but he cannot escape his guilt or violent tendencies.

 In a drunken rage, the narrator hangs his beloved black cat Pluto.
 Wracked with guilt, the narrator adopts another black cat, but its markings remind him of Pluto and of
his own evil deeds.
 In the end, the narrator murders his wife and is himself hanged, like Pluto was.

Summary

On the eve of his death, an unnamed narrator opens the story by proclaiming that he is sane, despite the wild
narrative he is about to convey. This narrative begins years before, when the narrator’s honorable character is
well known and celebrated. He confesses a great love for cats and dogs, both of which, he says, respect the
fidelity of friendship, unlike fellow men. The narrator marries at a young age and introduces his wife to the
domestic joys of owning pets. Among birds, goldfish, a dog, rabbits, and a monkey, the narrator singles out a
large and beautiful black cat, named Pluto, as his favorite.

Though he loves Pluto, the narrator begins to suffer from violent mood swings, predominantly due to the
influence of alcohol. He takes to mistreating not only the other animals but also his wife. During this
uncontrollable rage, he spares only Pluto. After returning home quite drunk one night, the narrator lashes out at
Pluto. Believing the cat has avoided him, he vengefully grasps the cat, only to be bitten on the hand. In demonic
retaliation, the narrator pulls a penknife from his pocket and cuts out one of the cat’s eyes. Though the narrator
wakes the next morning with a partial feeling of remorse, he is unable to reverse the newly ominous course of
his black soul. Ignored for certain now by the wounded cat, the narrator soon seeks further retaliation. He is
overwhelmed by a spirit of PERVERSENESS, and sets out to commit wrong for the sake of wrong. He hangs
Pluto from the limb of a tree one morning.

On the night of Pluto’s hanging, the narrator’s family’s house burns down, but he dismisses the possibility of a
connection between the two events. The day after the fire, which destroys all the narrator’s possessions, he
witnesses a group of neighbors collected around a wall that remains standing. Investigating their shouts of
amazement, the narrator discovers the impression of a gigantic cat—with a rope around its neck—on the surface
of the wall. The narrator attempts to explain rationally the existence of the impression, but he finds himself
haunted by this phantasm over the course of many months. One night, while out drunk, the narrator discovers a
black object poised upon a large barrel of alcohol. A new black cat has appeared, resembling Pluto but with a
splash of white on his fur.

As with Pluto, the narrator experiences a great fondness for the mysterious cat, which no one has seen before.
The cat becomes part of the household, much adored by his wife as well. However, following the earlier pattern,
the narrator soon cannot resist feelings of hatred for the cat. These murderous sentiments intensify when the
narrator discovers that the cat’s splash of white fur has mysteriously taken on the shape of the gallows, the
structure on which a hanging takes place. The white fur reveals the mode of execution that claimed Pluto, and
the narrator pledges revenge.

One day, descending into the cellar of the building with his wife, the narrator almost trips over the cat. Enraged,
the narrator grabs an axe to attack the cat, but his wife defends the animal. Further angered by this interference,
the narrator turns his rage at his wife and buries the axe in her head. Faced with the evidence of his crime, the
narrator considers many options for the body’s disposal, including dismemberment and burial. The narrator
eventually decides to take advantage of the damp walls in the basement and entomb the body behind their
plaster. Without any difficulty, the narrator creates a tomb in the plaster wall, thereby hiding the body and all
traces of his murder. When he finally turns to the cat, it is missing, and he concludes that it has been frightened
away by his anger.

On the fourth day after the murder, the police arrive unexpectedly at the narrator’s apartment. Cool and
collected, the narrator leads them through the premises, even into the basement. Though facing the scene of the
crime, the police do not demonstrate any curiosity and prepare to leave the residence. The narrator, however,
keeps trying to allay their suspicion. Commenting upon the solid craftsmanship of the house, he taps on the wall
—behind which is his wife’s body—with a cane. In response to the tapping, a long, loud cry emanates from
behind the wall. The police storm the wall and dismantle it, discovering the hidden corpse. Upon its head sits
the missing cat.

Symbols

Symbols are a key component of Poe's dark tale, particularly the following ones.

 The black cat: The animal is more than just the title of the story; it's also an important symbol. Like the
bad omen of legend, Pluto, the black cat, leads his owner (the narrator) down the path toward insanity
and loss of reason. 
 Alcohol: While the cat is the outward personification of everything that the narrator hates, his drinking
problem (alcoholism) may—or may not—be a reason for the loss of his grip on reality.
 House and home: Home sweet home is supposed to be a place of safety and security, but it becomes a
dark and tragic place of madness and murder in this story. The narrator kills his favorite pet (the black
cat), and then he kills his own wife. So, even the relationships that should have been the central focus of
his healthy and happy home become scapegoats to his deteriorating mental state. 
 Cell: The narrator is in a prison when the story begins, but his mind had become entangled in a mass of
confusion and unreality long before he was discovered for his murderous crimes against animals and
humans. 

 The wife: His wife could have been a grounding force in his life. The narrator describes her as having
"that humanity of feeling." She could have saved him, or at least escaped with her own life. Instead, she
becomes another horrible example of innocence lost. She never leaves him (she's loyal, faithful, and
kind), and she eventually dies, not of natural causes but as the result of a murderous, alcohol-induced
rage. 

Major Themes

Love and hate are two key themes in the story. The narrator at first loves his pets and seems to get along with
his wife. But eventually, he comes to hate just about everything around him. Other major themes include:

 Justice and truth: The narrator tries to hide the truth—to wall off his wife's body. But a black cat helps
bring him to justice.
 Superstition: The black cat is an omen of bad luck, a theme that runs throughout literature. 
 Murder and death: Death is the central focus of the entire story. The question is what causes the
narrator to become a murderer.
 Illusion versus reality: The reader is never completely sure if alcohol clouds the narrator's perception
of what is happening.
 Relationships: Marriage, which is supposed to be the central relationship of a happy home, is clearly
nothing of the sort in this sordid tale.
 Loyalty: A pet is often seen as a loyal and faithful partner in life. The hallucinations of the narrator
related to his black cat throw him into the most extreme passionate and murderous rages. The idea of
loyalty is turned upside-down in the story. The narrator's favorite pet becomes his biggest enemy.