The Black Cat: Witches or Just Cats? I believe that both Pluto I and Pluto II are actually witches in the disguise of a black cat in the story, The Black Cat. It has been a well known superstition for hundreds of years that black cats are bad omens and are often witches. There has been a lifelong correlation between black cats and witches, in some instances the black cat is the witch’s favorite pet of choice and other cases the witch herself turns in a black cat. Therefore, it is not surprising as to why so many people, including myself, believe that the both of the Plutos are actually witches in the form of black cats. In The Black Cat, there are many instances that alluded to the belief that the cats were actually witches through both the
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First, the narrator told us of how his wife often mentioned how she believed that black cats were actually witches. The narrator said the following quote alluding to the fact that his wife was often very superstitious and believed that these cats were witches. “In speaking of his intelligence, my wife, who at heart was not a little tinctured with superstition, made frequent allusion to the ancient popular notion, which regarded all black cats as witches in disguise.” (Poe 1) In addition to being a black cat, Pluto’s own name also has a direct correlation to these speculations. Pluto is the Roman god of the underworld and it is no coincidence that once Pluto is killed that a huge fire erupts and it’s flames are described to look like hellfire of the depths of hell, all on the same day.
Aside from the speculations of the characters, there were also concrete facts and events that solidified the belief that these cats were witches. For instance, when the narrator killed Pluto I after feeling very guilty for cutting out the cat's eye prior to that night, the house coincidentally caught on fire and everything burned down except one wall where an imprint of black cat …show more content…
When the narrator came home drunk at the end of the story, the cat got in the way just like what Pluto I did in the beginning of the story. The narrator once again got very angry and then tried to kill the cat just like what he did to Pluto I when he cut out it’s eye. When he went to kill Pluto II with an axe, his wife interfered and pulled the axe away. As a response, the narrator turned around and buried the axe into his wife’s skull, killing her instantly.
“I withdrew my arm from her grasp and buried the axe in her brain. She fell dead upon the spot, without a groan.” (Poe 5)
In order to conceal the body, he hid her in the wall and at some point while he was in the process of rebuilding the wall, Pluto II found a way into the wall without a sound and had went unnoticed by the narrator. After the murder, the narrator went to look for the cat but had no luck so he eventually gave up because for the first time in a very long time, he was finally able to sleep in peace without the burden of the cat or his wife.
“It did not make it’s appearance during the night -- and -- thus for one night at least, since it’s introduction into the house, I soundly and tranquilly slept; aye, slept even with the burden of murder upon my soul! (Poe
First, the narrator told us of how his wife often mentioned how she believed that black cats were actually witches. The narrator said the following quote alluding to the fact that his wife was often very superstitious and believed that these cats were witches. “In speaking of his intelligence, my wife, who at heart was not a little tinctured with superstition, made frequent allusion to the ancient popular notion, which regarded all black cats as witches in disguise.” (Poe 1) In addition to being a black cat, Pluto’s own name also has a direct correlation to these speculations. Pluto is the Roman god of the underworld and it is no coincidence that once Pluto is killed that a huge fire erupts and it’s flames are described to look like hellfire of the depths of hell, all on the same day.
Aside from the speculations of the characters, there were also concrete facts and events that solidified the belief that these cats were witches. For instance, when the narrator killed Pluto I after feeling very guilty for cutting out the cat's eye prior to that night, the house coincidentally caught on fire and everything burned down except one wall where an imprint of black cat …show more content…
When the narrator came home drunk at the end of the story, the cat got in the way just like what Pluto I did in the beginning of the story. The narrator once again got very angry and then tried to kill the cat just like what he did to Pluto I when he cut out it’s eye. When he went to kill Pluto II with an axe, his wife interfered and pulled the axe away. As a response, the narrator turned around and buried the axe into his wife’s skull, killing her instantly.
“I withdrew my arm from her grasp and buried the axe in her brain. She fell dead upon the spot, without a groan.” (Poe 5)
In order to conceal the body, he hid her in the wall and at some point while he was in the process of rebuilding the wall, Pluto II found a way into the wall without a sound and had went unnoticed by the narrator. After the murder, the narrator went to look for the cat but had no luck so he eventually gave up because for the first time in a very long time, he was finally able to sleep in peace without the burden of the cat or his wife.
“It did not make it’s appearance during the night -- and -- thus for one night at least, since it’s introduction into the house, I soundly and tranquilly slept; aye, slept even with the burden of murder upon my soul! (Poe