Symbolism of Edgar Alan Poe's "The Black Cat" In Edgar Alan Poe's, "The Black Cat", symbolism is used to show the narrator's capacity for violence, madness, and guilt. In this story, the narrator portrays a man who is fond of animals, had a tender heart and is happily married. Within several years of his marriage, his general temperament and character make a radical alteration for the worse. He grows moodier, more irritable and ... morning the narrator hung the cat by a noose from a tree. The hanging of the cat is symbolic of the narrator's inability to except love. And finally the symbol ass...

• Word Count: 593
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... night after drinking excessively at the bar, he arrives home and grabs Pluto, which startles the cat causing it to react by biting the man's hand. The narrator was enraged by the cat's reaction that he pulls out his penknife and cuts the cat's eye out. Over the ... next few days, he realizes he could not bear to look at the one ... decides to go ahead and hang Pluto. Later on that week, the narrator starts to feel very remorseful over what he has done and misses his cat very much. One night, at the bar, he finds a cat extremely similar to Pluto and decides ... quickly starts to grow lo...

• Word Count: 370
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

... seems to contradict his own assertions and indicate that a physical connection is just as important as a non-physical one"(Johnson, pg. 3). "And so all the night-tide, I lie down by the side Of my darling, my darling, my life and my bride In her sepulcher there by the sea... In her tomb by the side of the sea" (870). Rhythm and rhyme play important roles in bringing ... about his character. He finds the use of repetition powerful and necessary to help make his point. "We love with a love that was more than love"(869). "Poe repeats the word "love" three times as if to demonstrate the ina...

• Word Count: 1206
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School