Edgar Allan Poe- "The Black Cat"

The short story “The Black Cat” by Edgar Allan Poe is a story that exemplifies confession and defense of the horrid events that led him to jail.  Poe often times commits to his crime but then again finds excuses that would make it rational for him to do the terrible crimes that he has done.   Poe states, “But to-morrow I die, and to-day I would unburthen my soul”, allowing us to conclude that he is on death row and that he would like to confess about his atrocious actions (230).  Poe admits that “these events have terrified-have tortured-have destroyed me” but yet hopes to find “some intellect” that would “reduce my phantasm” and make it “more logical” and would make it “nothing more than an ordinary succession of very natural causes and effects” (230).  The story revolves around the constant battle between Poe and the black cats, although he ends up murdering one of the black cat’s.  He states that “I was especially fond of animals and was indulged by my parents with a great variety of pets…and never was so happy as when feeding and caressing them,” and tries to make us reason with him in that he used to love animals but was just in the wrong state of mind when he killed the cat.  Poe tries to justify himself by blaming alcohol for the “…more moody, more irritable, and more regardless of the feelings of others” person he had become (231).  Poe tries to defend himself of the actions he committed by stating “The fury of a demon instantly possessed me. I knew myself no longer” (231). 

Although Poe expresses a lot of examples of defense, his choice of words also indicates a sense of confession.   For example Poe states “I took my waistcoat-pocket a pen-knife, opened it, grasped the poor beast by the throat, and deliberately cut one of its eyes from the socket!”  (231). The word “deliberately” means that his actions were intentional and that the use of alcohol shouldn’t be of blame.   Poe confesses that he “hung it because I knew that it had loved me, and because I felt it had given me no reason of offence; - hung it because I knew that in so doing I was committing a sin- a deadly sin that would so jeopardize my immortal soul as to place it…” (232). This shows that he has no way to justify his actions because he knew exactly what he was doing. 

“I avoided the creature; a certain sense of shame, and the remembrance of my former deed of cruelty, preventing me from physically abusing it” stated by Poe proves that he is shameful of his act and that he wouldn’t have thought of killing the second cat if it  hadn’t been influenced upon him by alcohol (234).  Poe admits that “When I had finished, I felt satisfied that all was right” (236).  However he also states that “…the hideous beast whose craft had seduced me into murder, and whose informing voice had consigned me to the hangman,” which shows that he is trying to defend himself in saying that the cat had provoked him into murder.  Along with blaming alcohol, Poe starts to blame the cat for murdering his wife by saying “The cat followed me down the steep stairs, and, nearly throwing me headlong, exasperated me to madness” (236). 

Although Poe tries to justify his actions by accusing the cats and alcohol for influencing him, he also confesses that he was aware of his actions.  In my opinion, I think that none of his actions can be justifiable.  Poe has no right to blame alcohol for manipulating his mind due to the fact that he had chosen to consume that alcohol.