Edgar Allan Poe's the Black Cat short story analysis

Edgar Allan Poe use ironic tone as a way to interpret the main character’s feelings and emotions through its plot and character in The Black Cat short story.

                The Black Cat is one of the famous work by Edgar Allan Poe. He is well known by his gothic style in writing, such as in The Black Cat short story. He is so amazing by his ironic tone. An ironic tone is an expression of a writer's attitude toward their subject, often conveyed using sarcasm, exaggeration or understatement. An ironic tone calls attention to the difference between the way a subject is described and what is actually true about that subject.

Edgar Allan Poe’s The Black Cat uses ironic tone in his story to represent his emotions based on the main character feeling’s who’s a kind of man which is fond of animal, a tender kindhearted, who transform into an alcoholic man which always do something cruel, and do bad things such as maltreating his pets and at the end of the story he killed his wife neither thinking hard nor regret. Or we could say, he was transforming into the one who allows perverseness to take over himself.

Edgar Allan Poe concerned the tone by showing us the main character’s desire which is really upside down with what’s on his mind, and the guilt which appear who made him go to blame the fiend intemperance which causes the radical alteration in his mood. But the guilt which appear take no action to his life, because he felt that his evil thought has flowed through his mind. The perverseness already take him over. We could see the ironic tone of Poe’s The Black Cat from several events and character of the story as the following sentences that I’m about to explain,

The Black Cat began with the narrator who’s about to pen his experienced of life that he doesn’t expect to believe, and he doesn’t want to believe it. He tries to reject all the nonsense thing that has been done. As seen in this quotation below,

‘For the most wild, yet most homely narrative which I am about to pen, I neither expect nor solicit belief.’

            And he also reject about the fact that has been done, although he knew that it was happen in his real world, and he convinced himself that he’s not mad also not dreaming. Just to make us believe him, but he doesn’t want us to do so, like in quotation below,

 ‘Mad indeed would I be to expect it, in a case where my very senses reject their own evidence. Yet, mad am I not-and very surely do I not dream.’

He explained that he just want to live in a common way, but the result of his desire precisely bought him in a distorted way, and destroyed him. It means that what he wants is going so different in fact. As seen in the quotation below.

‘My immediate purpose is to place before the world, plainly, succinctly, and without comment, a series of mere household events. In their consequences, these events have terrified-have tortured-have destroyed me.’

He used to be a good man, we can see it based on the quotation bellow,                           

‘From my infancy I was noted for the docility and humanity of my disposition. My tenderness of heart was even so conspicious as to make me the jest of my companions’

But by the time pass by, he transformed being like a beast, that anyone cannot believe if such a tender kindhearted person can turn into a man who allows perverseness to take over ‘till we can conclude that he is crazy, psychologically mad, he murder his wife and all of his action, there’s nothing we could say such kindhearted one. I thought that he’s been already numb.

Furthermore, he tells that he loves Pluto on the exposition of the black cat story. As seen in this quotation below,

‘Pluto- this was the cat’s name-was my favorite pet and playmate’

He loves the cat very much but he no longer can retain sufficient to maltreating Pluto, it shows on the quotations below,

‘I took from 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! I blush, I burn, I shudder, while I pen the damnable atrocity.’

After doing so, he felts guilty about what he has done to Pluto at the night before. But it doesn’t touch his heart anyway. As the quotation below,

‘I experienced a sentiment half of horror, half of remorse, for the crime of which I had been guilty; but it was, at best, a feeble and equivocal feeling, and the soul remained untouched.’

He soon feel that the creature which had been loved him so much now the creature dislike him, he got a deep loose in his heart. It shows on the quotation below,

‘ I had so much of my old heart left, as to be, at first, grieved by this evident dislike on the part of a creature which had once so loved me.’

And for the most ironic is when he killed Pluto by hung it on a tree because of it had loved him, just had love him, I think he should know that why Pluto doesn’t so close like before by his fault, but he doesn’t feel it, he hung it with tears, but he keep doing so, and he do it like there is something that he couldn’t tell. We can see it in the quotation below,

‘One morning, in cool blood, I slipped a noose about its neck and hung it to the limb of a tree;—hung it with the tears streaming from my eyes, and with the bitterest remorse at my heart;—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 jeopardise my immortal soul as to place it—if such a thing were possible—even beyond the reach of the infinite mercy of the Most Merciful and Most Terrible God.’

By the time pass by, he got some nonsense accident like when he saw a bass relief shows the figure of gigantic cat in his burnt house, it ride him to the past accident which was done by himself, he remembered about his cruelty to his beloved cat. As the quotation below,

’I approached and saw, as if graven in bas relief upon the white surface, the figure of a gigantic cat. The impression was given with an accuracy truly marvellous. There had been a rope about the animal's neck.’

By that time he started sinking into terror by his beloved cat, he can’t get away from the phantasm of the cat. We can see that in the quotation below,

‘ For months I could not rid myself of the phantasm of the cat; and, during this period, there came back into my spirit a half-sentiment that seemed, but was not, remorse’

Poe’s also shows the ironic tone by show us when the main character (the narrator) killed his wife with an axe without thinking, he buried the axe into her brain. It shows on the quotation below,

‘Goaded, by the interference, into a rage more than demoniacal, I withdrew my arm from her grasp and buried the axe in her brain.’

And when he thinking hard to hide the corpse of his wife, we don’t think if a husband could do such a thing and thinking like that to his beloved wife, such as he don’t have a heart, neither humane nor sympathy and we know that a husband is not supposed to be like that, we just feel pity about his wife who dead and graved in such a way. As seen in the quotation below,

‘This hideous murder accomplished, I set myself forthwith, and with entire deliberation, to the task of concealing the body. I knew that I could not remove it from the house, either by day or by night, without the risk of being observed by the neighbours. Many projects entered my mind. At one period I thought of cutting the corpse into minute fragments, and destroying them by fire. At another, I resolved to dig a grave for it in the floor of the cellar. Again, I deliberated about casting it in the well in the yard—about packing it in a box, as if merchandize, with the usual arrangements, and so getting a porter to take it from the house. Finally, I hit upon what I considered a far better expedient than either of these. I determined to wall it up in the cellar—as the monks of the middle ages are recorded to have walled up their victims.’

So, I make conclusion that Edgar Allan Poe’s The Black Cat really make the emotions and feelings of the main character really clear to see by its tone. All the weird and sometimes nonsense thing which was really happen in the main character is really hard to believe but it was really pretty concentrated. And by seeing its tone, we could analyze this story deeper such as the character of the main character in this story, and also the atmosphere setting because they are related to the tone.

The Analysis of the Intrinsic Elements of The Black Cat, Cat In the Rain, and The Old Man and the Sea.

The Analysis of the Intrinsic Elements of The Black Cat, Cat In the Rain, and The Old Man and the Sea.

	The Black Cat	Cat in the Rain	The Old Man and the Sea
Author	Edgar A. Poe	Ernest Hemingway	Ernest Hemingway
Plot	Exposition The narrator is scheduled to die the following day, so he’s about to pen his experience of life that has made his life go bad. (Page 1 paragraph 1). From his infancy he’s fond of animal, and the animal that he loved the most was named Pluto, a black cat which it furs entirely black. (Page 2 paragraph 1 & 2). Raising action One night, when he was intoxicated, he fancied that Pluto avoided his presence, so he took off one of Pluto’s eye. (page 2 paragraph 3,4,5,6) In another day he hung Pluto (Page 3 line 1-21). and on the night of the day which his cruelty to Pluto has done, his house is on fire, (page 3 paragraph 1)   when he visited the ruins of his burnt house he saw a bas relief upon the white surface, the figure of a gigantic cat, after that he felt terror caused by hung Pluto (page 3 paragraph 2, page 4 paragraph 1&2) On the other day, he found a cat who look like Pluto, but he has some splotch of white fur in his breast. He loved that cat but by the following day, he hates the creature. (page 4 paragraph 3, 4, 5) (page 5) he was thinking hard and confused how to hide the corpse of his wife (page 6 paragraph 3) climax he tries to kill the cat with an axe but it arrested by the hand of his wife, he got mad by the interference of his wife, then he killed her. (page 6 paragraph 2) falling action he inserted the corpse of his wife into the wall (page 7 paragraph 1) Resolution he hit the wall by a cane and the police saw the corpse of the narrator’s wife in the broken wall(page 8 paragraph 2) they saw the condition of the narrator’s wife corpse (page 8 last paragraph)	Exposition When two Americans visited Italy to enjoy their holiday (paragraph 1, 2, and 3). Raising Action When the American wife stood at the window, she saw a kitty under the dripping green table, and she wanted that kitty badly, and she tries to get that kitty. (paragraph 4, 5, and 7) The cat was gone. So she goes back to her room. (paragraph 8 and 9) Climax she told everything that she wanted, but her husband just shut her out and keep reading, and she keep talking, but her husband told her to shut up and get something to read, she feels rejected and sad feel like a kitty whose crouched in the dripping table in the rain. (paragraph 10, 11, and 13) falling action the girl stops talking and she looking out of the window (paragraph 14) Resolution When someone knock the door, and it was the maid who bought her a big tortoiseshell cat. (paragraph 15 and 16)	Exposition  There was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days without taking any fish. In the first forty days he was accompanied by a boy. But then the boy had gone to another boat by his parent’s order. (page 1 paragraph 1) Raising Action On the day eighty-fifth the old man went to sail and wishes that he will get a fish. He thought that in the day of eighty-fifth he should fish the day well. Then he looks at one hundred fathoms down a marlin was eating the sardines that covered the point and the shank of the hook where the hand-forged hook projected from the head of the small tuna. (page 10 paragraph 9 line 5-7) The old man struggle to get the fish is really hard. (page 11 paragraph 2 -page 33 paragraph 9) Climax When he got the marlin, a shark came because of the smell of the marlin’s blood, then the old man endeavored to kill the shark, but the last shark can’t be killed by the old man and it eats the marlin. (page 28 paragraph 3.- page 33 paragraph 9) Falling action The shark had caught the most part of the fish, and the old man pay no more attention to the shark (page 33paragraph 1-10) He spat into the ocean and said, “eat that, galanos. And make a dream you’ve killed a man” (page 33 paragraph 11) Resolution Finally, he arrived at the shack and then he slept and dreaming about the lion while the boy was watching him. (page 36 last paragraph)
Setting	The physical setting: 1.      At the narrator’s house. (page 2 paragraph 4) 2.      At the narrator’s burnt house (ruined house) (page 3 paragraph 3) 3.      At the cellar, a place which he had killed his wife. (page 6 paragraph 3)	The physical setting is in the Italian Hotel which an American couple stay to spend their Holiday in the Italy, it was a great place, which was their room in the 2nd floor and faces the sea, and it also faced the public garden and the war monument. (paragraph 1, line 2)	The physical setting: 1.      Old man’s terrace (page 1, paragraph 5) 2.      On the old man shack (page 2, paragraph 2) 3.      On the old man skiff. (all the time when he fishes in the story) 4.      Sea (all of the part of the story)
	The Atmosphere Setting: 1.      Uncontrolled, he was intoxicated and he no longer knew himself, his fancy already make him do something cruel to Pluto, it is taking off one of Pluto’s eyes. (page 2 paragraph 4) 2.      Panic, by the fire who burnt his house so the narrator, his wife, and the servant escape from the conflagration. (page 3 paragraph 2) 3.      He felt worried about the horror effect after he hung Pluto. (page 4 paragraph 1 & 2) 4.      He was surprised when his wife had called his attention to the character of the mark of white hair in his cat, he soon realizes it look like GALLOWS. (page 5 paragraph 4) 5.      He confused and anxious about what should he do with the corpse of his wife, and where should he hide that corpse. He really confused and anxious. (page6 paragraph 3)	The Atmosphere setting is boring, flat. (In the conversation which the couple have) their conversation is too boring because of he shout the girl out but the girl keep talking.	The Atmosphere setting: 1.      Wary, when he looked down into the water and watched the lines that went straight down into the dark of water. (page 8 paragraph 3 line 4) 2.      Tight, and hopefully, when he talks himself when he saw marlin was about to eat his sardines. (page 11 paragraph 4 line 3-5) 3.      Glee, when he felt something hard and unbelievably heavy, he thought that it was the weight of the fish. (page 11 paragraph 6) 4.      Mad , because the shark had eaten the most part of his marlin, so he spat into the ocean (page 33 paragraph 10 line 2)
	The social setting is: 1.      He and his family were fond of animals. (page 1 paragraph 2) 2.      A myth which regarded all black cats as witches in disguise. (page2 paragraph 1) 3.      The narrator’s life is change caused by alcohol addict which has made him be a rage man either with his wife or his pets, and for his addiction result is he killed her wife. (the whole story)	The social setting is: 1.      The American couple is different from others, they both were an immigrant, and they both only the American which is stay in the hotel. (paragraph 1 line 1) 2.      Good manner and kindness, the padrone shows his kindness to the visitors by sent a maid which bought an umbrella to accompany the American wife looking for the kitty under the table out of the hotel. (paragraph 7 line 3) 3.      The husband which is indifferent with his wife, he keeps enjoy his reading. (it shows on the conversation which they have)	The social setting is: 1.      Manolin was a good boy, although he really wanted to be with the old man, but he obeyed his parents (page 1 paragraph 1) 2.      The old man is a kind man although many of the fisherman made fun of the old man but he wasn’t angry. (page 1 paragraph 5 line 1) 3.      The old man believes that 85 is a lucky number. (page 3 paragraph 3 line 2) 4.      The old man picked up only a straggler from the albacore that were feeding. (page 10 paragraph 5 line 2) 5.      The old man keep praying for killing the fish and he also pray for  the death fish (page 17 paragraph 10 line 4&5- page 18 line 1&2)
Theme	Transformation, The narrator's transformation via alcohol from a family guy who loves his wife and pets to a moody maniac who cuts out his cat's eye, hangs his cat, and eventually murder his wife. This transformation is psychological and the result of the narrator's addiction of alcohol.	Dissatisfaction  she came from a long way off to look up at the war monument, and going to spend the holidays with her husband, but that was a rainy day, so they both stuck in the hotel, they could go nowhere, they stuck in their room like imprisonment and her husband always shout her out, no matter what she is talking about, he always keeps reading and ignore her.	Struggle The whole story shows us about the old man struggle in life, in fishing, and when he try to catch marlin, and when he tried to kill the sharks to keep his fish.
Point of view	First person central: the story tells about the narrator’s life and used word “I, me, my” although the narrator’s name was anonymous.	Third Person Limited: the author describe the characters through what can be seen, heard, or thought.	Third Person Omniscient: The author describe the characters widely through his thought and behaviour even guessing and commenting what the character had in his mind
Style and Tone	Style of Edgar Allan Poe in this story is gothic. It shows many horror, scary, and cruelty. And the tone is Ironic, there are many household events happen which was called by anonymous narrator as “a mere household events” which is in this story the narrator always did something cruel and then he felt guilty and he goes on to blame "the Fiend Intemperance" which caused the "radical alteration" in his mood. And he always do that but he continued doing something crueler again and again.	Style of Ernest Hemingway in this story is simple, he writes really in a simple way but he could make all of the girl’s feelings out, it really conveys the deep feeling of the girl. And the tone is Controlled, there’s a conflict between restraint and rebellion present in this story, but Hemingway only suggests it. The husband and wife are at odds and discontent with one another, but they don't talk about it. Instead, the tension lies in their lack of real interaction. There's an unhappiness that they are studiously avoiding, but trapped as they are in their room on that rainy day, as each other's only company and as the only Americans at the hotel, the awkwardness becomes pretty concentrated.	Style of Ernest Hemingway in this story is detail, he writes the story really in detail way and so distinctly, so the reader could imagine all the way of the plot of the story and understand the act of the character clearly. And the tone is factual,serious, but sympathic , the conversation shows the old man struggles which is taken so seriously, there is not really any humor, and the boy always taking care of the old man such as serve him in any way he could do.
Symbolism	The black cat, it is a symbol of witches in disguise based to the ancient popular nation. And soon the narrator believes it, it proved based on after he hung Pluto, he found so many accidents within distinct reason, when his house going through the conflagration, bas relief upon the white surface of his burnt house, cat on the head of the corpse of his wife. White splotch which is look like gallows on the breast of his second cat, it is a symbol of the narrator’s cruelty to Pluto, it remains the narrator that he hung Pluto.	The cat under a dripping table in the rain, it a symbol of the American wife, in paragraph 4, it tells us that a cat was crouched under one of the dripping green tables, the dripping green table is symbol of the hotel which is the American wife stay, and the cat crouched so that she would not get wet, it symbols that the cat couldn’t go anywhere, just like the American wife who stuck in the hotel like imprisonment. And I think it also symbol of the American wife feeling, we know that the cat under a table is perhaps just a cringing, drippy, unhappy cat under a table.	Sea, it is a symbol of the old man’s journey and struggle. Manolin, it is a symbol of kindness, he like to serve the old man in any way, he takes care of him, and he obey his parents, that’s such a kind of good boy. Marlin, it symbol of successful on fishing. Shark, symbol of vigour that hard to be conquered.
Irony	Dramatic irony One morning, in cool blood, I slipped a noose about its neck and hung it to the limb of a tree;-hung it with the tears streaming from my eyes and with the bitterest remorse at my heart ~ it is hard to believe that he hung Pluto because of he knew that the cat loves him, he hung it and he aware, but he felt guilty .(page 3 line 14- 21)	Dramatic irony The wife liked him. She liked the deadly serious way he received any complaints. She liked his dignity. She liked the way he wanted to serve her. She liked the way he felt about being a hotel-keeper. She liked his old, heavy face and big hands~what has the padrone done is completely different with the husband of the American wife(page 1 paragraph 6)	Dramatic irony he was an old man who fished alone in a skiff and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish, and the boy’s parents that the old man was now definitely and finally salao, which is the worst from of unlucky~ at the first the people think that he’s not success in fishing, but at the end of the story they respected him because of his successful catching a huge marlin, although just left of it skeleton.(page 1 paragraph 1)
	Verbal irony I looked around triumphantly, and said to myself— "Here at least, then, my labor has not been in vain." ~it’s hard to believe that he didn’t feel guilty and sad after killing his wife and insert her corpse in the wall, instead of saying like he has done such a success good thing(page 7 paragraph 1)	Verbal irony ‘I wanted it so much,’ she said. ‘I don’t know why I wanted it so much. I wanted it so much. I wanted that poor kitty. It isn’t any fun to be a poor kitty out in the rain.’~ she said that she wanted that kitty but by the word that she’s been saying, we can conclude that she just wants her husband to pay more attention to her.(page 2 paragraph 1 line 10&11)	Verbal irony He spat out into the ocean and said,’ eat that, galanos. And make a dream you’ve killed a man.’~ it contrasts with his condition, he didn’t want the shark to eat his marlin, he’s already fought the shark before to keep his fish but in the end he let the shark eat it in terms of he’s been so tired, bites and he could no longer fight in his condition. (page 33 paragraph 10 line 3)