🧩 Plot Summary:
The story is told by an unnamed narrator, writing
from prison on the eve of his execution. He claims to have been a kind and
gentle man, especially fond of animals—until alcoholism corrupted him.
He had a black cat named Pluto, whom he once loved.
But under the influence of alcohol, he becomes violent. One night, in a fit of
rage, he gouges out one of Pluto’s eyes and later hangs the cat from
a tree.
Soon after, his house mysteriously burns down. Amid the
ruins, he sees the image of a hanged cat on the wall. Later, he finds a new
black cat—almost identical to Pluto, but with a white patch on its chest.
This cat also seems to haunt him and triggers his guilt and madness.
Eventually, in another fit of anger, he tries to kill the
second cat but instead kills his wife, who tries to stop him. He hides
her body in a wall in the cellar.
Days later, the police investigate. Thinking he’s safe, the
narrator proudly shows them the wall—only for a horrifying sound to emerge from
behind it. The police tear it down and discover the wife’s body—and the black
cat, alive, trapped inside the wall.
💀 Themes:
- Guilt
and Madness
- The
effects of alcohol and moral decay
- Supernatural
and psychological horror
- Violence
against the innocent (especially animals and women)
- Poetic
justice – the cat brings about the narrator’s
downfall
🧠 Why
It Matters:
- One
of Poe’s darkest and most disturbing tales.
- A
classic example of unreliable narration.
- Explores
the psychology of guilt and self-destruction.
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