文学概论

Class 3 郭嘉琪 070170164

Symbolism in The Black Cat Symbolism is defined as an object or action in a literary work that means more than itself, that stands for something beyond itself. In Edgar Allen Poe’s, “The Black Cat”, a symbolism is used to show the narrator’s aptitude for violence, madness, and guilt. violence, madness, and guilt are found within each and every individual, no matter how humane and conservative our nature might appear. In this story, the narrator is portrayed as a man who loves animals, has a warm heart, and is content with his marriage. Throughout the story he becomes moodier, more irritable, and inconsiderate of those around him. The main cause for his change is primarily due to alcohol consumption, intoxication. The symbolism of the first black cat, the second black cat, and the white spot illustrate the narrator’s expanding evilness.

The First Black Cat

The first black cat is one of the most important symbols of this story. It is symbolic of the narrator’s evil heart. The first black cat was named Pluto, which is taken from Greek mythology. The name Pluto is another name for the Roman God of the Underworld or lord of the dead. One night the narrator came home quite intoxicated and frightened the cat. In return the cat wounded the narrator’s hand. After doing so, the narrator removed one of the cats’ eyes. In doing so, he thought the cat would not get a clear perception of his evil and violent heart. Suddenly, one morning the narrator hung the cat. This is symbolic of the narrator not being able to accept love. As well as being named Pluto, the archetypal symbol associated with the first cat is its color, black. This color is associated with a well known superstition that black represents evil and darkness. The first black cat was the victim of the narrator’s evil and violent heart.

The Second Black Cat

The second black cat is symbolic of the narrator’s guilt. It resembled the first cat (Pluto) in most aspects. The finding of the second cat serves as a reminded of the night in which the narrator came home intoxicated and frightened Pluto. The second cat also follows the narrator around almost as if they were bound together by an invisible rope. This is symbolic of the narrator’s guilt haunting him from the day he hung Pluto. What is more intriguing about the second black cat is that it had a noticeable white spot covering its whole chest, which at times would change shapes. The archetypal symbol of the color white projects purity, cleanliness, and neutrality.

The White Spot on the second cat

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This white spot on the second cat’s chest is symbolic of Pluto’s pure heart. When ever the spot changed shapes, the formation was a symbol of the narrator’s guilt. In a sense, it serves as punishment inflicted by the second black cat. It was a reminder to the narrator about the evil deed he had committed. The first black cat (Pluto), the second black cat, and the white spot are three of the most important symbols in this story. Individually they each represent the narrator’s evil and perverse ways. Pluto represents the narrator’s evil heart and inability to accept love. The second black cat represents the narrator’s guilt for hanging Pluto. On the other hand, the white spot on the chest of the second black cat serves as punishment for the narrator by continuously reminding him of his evil hear. One phrase could fully represent this story and the narrator, “What goes around, comes around.”•

Next, let’t talk about some sybols in details in this article. The Rope,the Tree and the Gallows

The man's choice of weapons in the murder of Pluto strikes us as rather odd. The image of a cat hanging from a tree in the garden all day, and even at night when the man goes to sleep is profoundly disturbing. When the narrator notices that the second cat has an image \"of THE GALLOWS!\" on it's fur, we might feel a tad bewildered. A gallows is a structure used to hang people.The second cat wears a symbol of Pluto's murder on its body. It becomes a symbol of the man's guilt and depravity, a visual reminder of his crime, and of his changing personality. It also foreshadows the man's own death by hanging.

The Night Mare

The narrator describes the cat as a \"Night Mare,\" though some texts, like the University of Virginia e-text used here, run the two words together to form

nightmare, which is the usual contemporary spelling. According to a footnote in The Selected Writings of Edgar Allan Poe, \"The Night Mare myth was a dream

horse(\"mare\" is another word for \"horse) that trampled people in their sleep, it's great weight causing a sense of suffocation\".In many Poe stories, we aren't completely sure whether the narrator is asleep, awake, or somewhere in between. \"The Black Cat\" is one of those stories. The narrator admits to nodding off frequently, and to sleep deprivation. His dream life and his waking life combine to form an almost seamless nightmare-scape.As with all his other problems, the narrator blames this situation on the cat. In his old cat-lover days, he might have considered the cat's snuggling a sign of affection, but the cat has become an easy victim for his rage. He sees it as a sign of menace, and of his guilt. It is only once the cat (and the wife) are out of the way, the man sleeps easy.

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