Lesson 3-4 - The Black Cat (notes to class discussion part 2)

Lesson 3-4: ‘The Black Cat’ by Edgar Allan Poe (Notes to class discussion) Name: __________________________________ Section: ___________The unreliable narrator- This entire story is filtered through the point of view of the diseased, guilty imagination ofthe narrator- In the opening, he says he is not mad, not dreaming, and yet doesn‟t expect people to believe him. →the only reason to explain this claim is that he is LYING.- Insists on his sanity, keen on assuring the readers that he is not mad. But the more hetries to explain the events irrational, the more we discover about his insanity.- “a series of mere household events” →challenges readers‟ perception of his behavior→the description is obviously inadequate to describe such horrifying crime- “the ordinary succession of very natural causes and effects” → in reality no succession(logical sequence) can be found.- Admits that he indulges in drinking, but offers no explanation of what lay behind thisdesire to escape through alcohol, or why his drinking habit would cause him to behave in such a violent way → unable to deal with his inner dark side → resorts to drinking toparalyze his mind → alcohol is seen as a symptom of self-destruction- He says the events have “natural causes and effects”, but apparently he attempts toperceive these events with supernatural elements.Use of supernatural elements to perceive the reality (only in the mind of the narrator)undercut his credibility:-Recalls his wife saying b lack cats are …witches in disguise‟-imprint of dead cat→ narrator tries to provide a rational explanation in order to dispelhis terror-the patch of white fur on the second cat‟s chest which gradually c hanges until itresembles gallows→ a reminder to his subconscious guilt over killing the cat / revealshis death instinct(Freud‟s theory: the impulse within all for self-destruction)– the narrator has a premonition of where he is going to end up (hanging from a rope)→We allhave the experience of looking at a certain object – a cloud in the sky, perhaps, a shadowon a wall, or a distinctive pattern in a piece of wood – that at first has nothingremarkable about it but then suddenly appears to resemble a face or some other familiarobject or creature. → must have something to do with our subconscious mindThe narrator‟s disturbed, abnormal mind / One-sided psychic development- Emotionally undeveloped and unbalanced →Never developed the ability to have good relationship with others / past disappointments in his attempts to create bonds with others - Repression of childhood abuse for feminine qualities (his “tenderness for heart”) / teased by friends at childhood /- “paltry friendship and gossamer fidelity of mere Man”→ suggest that he has experiencedbetrayal by friends and unhappy friendships in the past- Downside of immature marriage, problems with relationships, his marriage in particular He hates is wife, but the social pressure imposed upon him by the institution of marriage forces him to submerge his feelings, and eventually projects the hatred towards his wife on the black cat- Anxiety threatens his self-esteem and security, leading to a combination of repression and displacement- Even his kindness and tender-heartedness as a youth is out of balance, a sentimentalitythat seems unnatural because it was carried to excess – friends laugh at him- No healthy way to deal with his darker side (darker side is repressed)- Harms animals because animals are morally superior to mere humans he resents animals for being morally superior to himself- Shares the same personality (love animals) with his wife – no room for anything else in his mind and emotions. When other elements of his psyche strive for expression, they are denied, until a breaking point that pushes him to destructive behavior.- Hardly any remorse- Even the initial remorse over the loss of Pluto‟s eyes is …a feeble and equivocal feeling, and the soul remained untouched‟- Blames everything on perverseness and the cat as if he can‟t exercise his free will, that murmuring his wife is a natural consequence so that he can minimized hisresponsibility“spirit of PERVERSENESS” – a fundamental part of human character according to the narrator- “one of the primitive impulses of the human heart”- Prompts him to do the opposite of what he knows to be right- evade taking personal responsibility for his own actions, although he is aware that what he has done is a sin and would be offensive to God.- Just an excuse to justify a catastrophic moral failing, as if he could not help it because it is a law dictating human nature / the narrator invents what he claims to be an aspect of human condition so that he can evade from responsibility and guilt- Evert Augustus Duykinck says in a critique that such perverseness should be “rightly classed, not among the original impulses of humanity, but among the phenomena of insanity.”- Perverseness ensures that a person does something for the very reason that he should not do it; he does wrong simply for the sake of it, because it has an irresistible attraction for him.- We all have the pleasure of defying moral authority at some point of our life. We break school rules just because we find pleasure in breaking rules. We peer into the abyss – we grow dizzy ad sick. Our first impulse is to shrink from the danger, but unaccountably we remain.Why “a large splotch of white” on the second cat‟s chest?-The second cat is adopted out of guilt and remorse. The narrator wants to make compensation after the death of Pluto. The “large splotch of white” may symbolize his remaining conscience. But as the narrator can‟t process his repressed dark feelings (of his hatred for his wife and subconscious guilt) in a normal manner, this pattern of white fur slowly amplifies his guilt and serves as a premonition of his downfall by changing to gallows in his mind.Why does the narrator brag about the solid construction of the wall and raps on the wall with his cane?- Statement to the police and rapping of spot of the wall where the corpse is buried is completely unnecessary- Unconscious desire to be caught (inner guilt and remorse)- enjoy his moment of triumph over the forces of law and order, an act of pride and arrogance stemming from his inner security and anxiety.Narrator‟s wife- Unnamed / physical appearance not described / character is little developed- Kind disposition, enjoys animals, puts up with the narrator without complaints, endlessly patient – every sign of being a good wife- Wife‟s goodness leads to her death, since her lack of reaction towards his physical assault arouses the narrator‟s furySymbolic meaning of Pluto and the second cat1)The darker forces within the narrator‟s personality that he at first attempts to repressbut which eventually establish control over him / decay in the narrator‟s soul-Pluto – In Greek mythology, it is the god of death and the underworld-The presence of the cat is a reminder of his lack of psychic wholeness-Since he has failed to integrate this “dark” side of his personality in a manner that would enable him to live a stable, productive life (his id and superego fail to worktogether to achieve a balanced ego), the symbol of this deficiency, the black cat, follows him around everywhere.-The narrator appears to have no understanding of his psychic processes, all he can do is lash out in ignorance and destroy the cat.-Since he has not cured his original condition, another cat soon appears on the scene and functions as an even more direct symbol of the narrator‟s guilt and of the fate that awaits him.-When the second cat disappears after he kills wife, he sleeps well and is completely relieved → reinforces the idea that the black cat represents his inner dark side → cat (dark side), sleeps well-At the end, the second black cat is found perching on the corpse‟s head, one more indication that the cat is a reminder of a dark, disturbed MIND (INSIDE THE HEAD).2)The narrator‟s hidden hatred for his wife-The cat is a displacement of his wife. Killing the cat reflects a desire to kill his wife-Why hate his wife?He resents the humble devotion of his wife, sweet-natured, patient, uncomplaining despite endless violence and abuse. / The narrator despises his wife for her weakness in being the “uncomplaining wife, the most patient of sufferers”. He physically assaults and abuses his wife, but she never fights back / Her lack of reaction is a constant irritant the husband.-Whenever the narrator mentions his wife, the cat is close by. →the intimacy between husband and wife →the cat represents his wife-The mysterious apparition of the cat appears on the wall above the couple‟s bed → adds to the idea of the cat is a representation of his wife, who shares the same bed with him -How the second cat clings to the narrator mirrors the physical intimacy between a husband and wife →…fastening its long claws in my dress‟, …chamber, in this manner, to my breast‟ and …its vast weight was incumbent on my heart” →The narrator‟s fear for the cat‟s being so sticky to him is an indication of his resentment for his wife.-The narrator has stronger guilt after killing Pluto –“I blush, I burn, I shudder”, but he expresses no such feeling when he records the murder of his wife, which he relates in a flat, matter-of-fact tone. He even sleeps well after the murder.-“It takes two people to make a murder”–The wife‟s timid nature may be a false impression created by a frightened woman. Her inability to stand up for herself may have drawn the narrator‟s aggression towards her. → The wife, well-aware of how her husband‟s distort ed mind works, uses her only weapon against him. She points out that black cats are …witches in disguise‟. She keeps pointing out to him the patch of white fur on the cat‟s chest, where he eventually sees the gallows. She is taking advantage of his inner guilt to produce the desired effect, to terrorize the terrorist.Symbolic meaning of the wall / house-Symbolizes his remaining conscience and sanity.-The house burnt symbolizes the narrator‟s remorse and guilt is being wiped out-The wall, which signifies sanity, is well-constructed and solid according to the narrator, but ultimately dismantled by justice (the police) -- an irony (EXPECTATION: a solid wall and house does not crumble; REALITY: the house is burnt, the wall crumbles and exposes evidence of his murder)。