In Edgar Allan Poes “The Black Cat,” symbolism is used to show the narrator’s capacity for violence, madness, and guilt. “The Black Cat,” written by Edgar Allan Poe, is a first-person narrative story that is told by a man who, at first, seems to be very pleasant and likable. Soon, however, throughout the reading of this short story, it becomes apparent that the narrator has some more sinister sides as well. In this article, I will use Symbolism as an approach to discuss Poe’s “The Black Cat” as a whole. Symbolism plays an important role in deciphering meaning from literature.
Symbolism can be defined as something which stands for something else by common association or convention… Symbolism may also take the form of a literary or artistic motif that exists independent of its referent(s)… Symbolism draws on our shared ideas about human existence and things and events and connects us to the greater world in which we live. Symbolism is a literary element that can be used to create a more complex story with additional layers of meaning, beyond the literal level of the text. Symbolism may also explain many of the actions or thoughts behind characters in literature.
Symbolism plays into Poes “The Black Cat” by being shown through several different examples including The color black representing evil, cats representing witches, and blindness representing guilt. In this article, I will discuss how symbolism is used in Poe’s The Black Cat. I will also discuss how symbolism plays a role in “the black cat” as well as give some examples from it. What does the black cat symbolize in Edgar Allan Poe? Symbolism is present throughout the short story The Black Cat. The symbolism of the black cat, the color black, and blindness are seen throughout this story.
Symbolism can be used to represent an idea or a thing through something else that represents it but is not true. Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Black Cat,” tells the story of a man who loves cats until he gets one particular black cat for which he develops hatred because of its appearance. When this blatantly evil feline takes up residence in his house, terrible things begin to happen, culminating with him burying its corpse alive under floorboards that are later torn out during renovations. This leads to even more horror as Poe reveals that all along his human owner has been a psychotic murderer and has been buried alive for years.
The main idea of Poe’s Symbolism in this story is that a black cat who was the first cat the protagonist ever had, symbolizes evilness to him. Symbolism can also be seen through Poe’s use of The color black as well as Symbolism being used by how Poes uses blindness to represent guilt. In Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Black Cat,” Symbolism is used throughout this short story. The symbolism is used to show the narrator’s capacity for violence, madness, and guilt. This leads to even more horror as Poe reveals that all along his human owner has been a psycho killer and has been buried alive under floorboards that are later torn out during renovations.
Symbolism in The Black Cat is shown through several different examples including The color black representing evil, cats representing witches, and blindness representing guilt. The symbolism of the color Black is used when the black cat first meows at its owner. “But my favorite pet—and I loved him too—was a large, coal-black Tomcat…the moment that my eyes fell upon him in his formative state…” Symbolism in this story is shown when he describes how much he loves his cat by quoting saying “My favorite pet-and I loved him too- was a large, coal-black Tomcat .
The symbolism is present with showing how much he loved his cat by describing him as being “…coal-black Tomcat. ” Symbolism in this story is shown when he describes how much he loves his cat by saying “My favorite pet-and I loved him too- was a large, coal-black Tomcat . ” The symbolism is present with showing how much he loved his cat by describing him as being “…coal-black Tomcat. ” The symbolism of the color black is also shown through symbolism used when The narrator implores his wife to save her life and the lives of their unborn children.
Symbolism in this story is seen when the Narrator says “My blood ran cold, for my wife had spoken of [the cats] sinning against all laws of God and Nature, and now I knew it was they who had killed them all — all, perhaps, save one” Symbolism in this story is shown when he tries to convince his wife that the two cats are capable of murder by saying ” My blood ran cold, for my wife had spoken of their singing against all laws of God and Nature… ” Symbolism presents with showing how much he loved his cat by describing him as being “…coal-black Tomcat. ” Symbolism is also used to show Symbolism used by how Poes uses blindness to represent guilt. Symbolism in The Black Cat is shown throughout several different examples including Symbolism being The color black representing evil, cats representing witches, and blindness representing guilt. The symbolism of The color black is used when the black cat first meows at its owner.
Symbolism in this story is shown when he describes how much he loves his cat by saying “My favorite pet-and I loved him too- was a large, coal-black Tomcat . ” The symbolism is present with showing how much he loved his cat by describing him as being “…coal-black Tomcat. ” Symbolism in this story is seen when the Narrator says “My blood ran cold, for my wife had spoken of [the cats] sinning against all laws of God and Nature… .” Symbolism presents with showing how much he loved his cat by describing him as being a “coal-black Tomcat.
Symbolism also used to show Symbolism of cats representing witches when The narrator, who has recently lost the ability to perceive the color black and thus is blind to his guilt and violence, expresses remorse for murdering his cat: “But then, again, I considered how certain I was that the beast had already been subjected to torments; and because I could not but conclude in my mind that it had endured so much misery, I felt the certainty of its having been tortured by some infernal villain . “
