According to Dr. Baumeister’ journal Masochism as Escape from Self, there are three main features of Masochism: Pain, loss of control, and humiliation. (Baumeister 1998). Pain is used as an escape from Self awareness because one’s attention is concentrated on the feeling not the self. “One’s knowledge about the world is temporarily forgotten, and attention is narrowed to the immediate present, both spatially and temporarily” (Baumeister 1998) In other words, masochist use pain almost as a narcotic, that figuratively removes them from themselves, and into a place where their sole focus is on the area where pain is inflicted. Masochist use bondage as a form of pain, within their bondage they relinquish their freedom and submit to the sadist.
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The unnamed protagonist loves this cat to the extent that he alone feeds, plays, and attends to the cat. Their bond was so strong that the cat followed the unnamed narrator everywhere he went in his home. Pluto was his favorite pet, and even when he maltreated his wife, he never maltreated Pluto. However, the unnamed narrator suffered from a “disease” (Poe 12) and his disease is Alcohol. According to Dr. Baumeister, excess use of narcotics or alcohol is a way of escaping the self. Being intoxicated to the extent that one is no longer aware of one’s actions is a way to escape self awareness. One night, the unnamed narrator was very intoxicated and he deliberately cut one of Pluto’s eyes from the socket out of anger. Poe portrays the man to have an uncontrollable anger, through this anger he injured his favorite pet. This uncontrollable anger is the reason why the unnamed narrator remains constantly intoxicated; he wishes to escape the Self because self awareness is a constant remainder of the pain he inflicted upon his beloved cat. “When reason returned with the morning-when I had slept off the fumes of the night’s debauch- I had experienced a sentiment half of horror, half remorse, for the crime of which I had been guilty … I again plunged into excess, and soon drowned in wine all memory of the deed.” (Poe 13). In this quote, Poe depicts the masochistic acts of the unnamed narrator. As the story continues, the Man feels such remorse that he hangs the cat with a noose on a tree in his garden. The black cat is a symbol of torment that the man must face every day as a memory of his abuse towards his beloved pet. The unnamed man therefore uses Alcohol to escape the self, as a way to relinquish his true
The unnamed protagonist loves this cat to the extent that he alone feeds, plays, and attends to the cat. Their bond was so strong that the cat followed the unnamed narrator everywhere he went in his home. Pluto was his favorite pet, and even when he maltreated his wife, he never maltreated Pluto. However, the unnamed narrator suffered from a “disease” (Poe 12) and his disease is Alcohol. According to Dr. Baumeister, excess use of narcotics or alcohol is a way of escaping the self. Being intoxicated to the extent that one is no longer aware of one’s actions is a way to escape self awareness. One night, the unnamed narrator was very intoxicated and he deliberately cut one of Pluto’s eyes from the socket out of anger. Poe portrays the man to have an uncontrollable anger, through this anger he injured his favorite pet. This uncontrollable anger is the reason why the unnamed narrator remains constantly intoxicated; he wishes to escape the Self because self awareness is a constant remainder of the pain he inflicted upon his beloved cat. “When reason returned with the morning-when I had slept off the fumes of the night’s debauch- I had experienced a sentiment half of horror, half remorse, for the crime of which I had been guilty … I again plunged into excess, and soon drowned in wine all memory of the deed.” (Poe 13). In this quote, Poe depicts the masochistic acts of the unnamed narrator. As the story continues, the Man feels such remorse that he hangs the cat with a noose on a tree in his garden. The black cat is a symbol of torment that the man must face every day as a memory of his abuse towards his beloved pet. The unnamed man therefore uses Alcohol to escape the self, as a way to relinquish his true