ipl-logo

Motifs And Symbolism In Edgar Allan Poe's The Black Cat

971 Words4 Pages

A psychoanalysis is “a systematic structure of theories concerning the relation of conscious and unconscious psychological process. Edgar Allan Poe was an American writer during the mid 19th century. His unique stories could have hinted about his own life. Poe showed characteristics of himself through the symbols/motifs and the themes he picked. By the time Edgar Allan Poe was 3 years old, both of his parents had left him. His mother died soon after his father deserted the family. (Edgar Allan Poe: Buried Alive, 2006 ) When he was an adult he lost his wife to tuberculosis when she was in her early twenties. (UXL Encyclopedia of U.S. History, 2009) These events may have influenced his stories even though he most likely didn't remember very much or any of the first two events. Death is …show more content…

For example, in The Cask of Amontillado one of the symbols is the name of one of the characters. “Fortunato” looks similar to the word “fortunate”, but Fortunato was definitely not fortunate in the story. It is even more ironic because Fortunato was dressed up like a jester. Fortunato become the fool and gets tricked into being left to die. Poe also uses motifs and symbols in The Black Cat. The black cats in the story represent bad luck, which foreshadows the rest of the story. One thing a black cat was known for was bad luck back in the 19th century and still are today. (Kimberly Lim, 2016) Finally, in The Pit and The Pendulum, the pit and the pendulum represented death. The narrator was supposed to fall into the pit, but avoided it and lived. He was also supposed to get killed by the pendulum, but he did not. This is the only story out of the three stories where the narrator doesn't have a bad fate. The story does not have a bad ending because the narrator did not fall into the pit and escaped the pendulum. This story takes place during the Spanish Inquisition. The themes Poe picked also show characteristics of

Show More
Related
558 Words | 3 Pages

The Symbolism Of Poe Author Edgar Allan Poe uses the significance of love and death being inevitable as the moral of his open-minded stories along with a plot that touches the minds of his many readers. From his symbolizing colored rooms to his kingdom by the sea, the theme of his stories always have a way of visualizing the images in the minds of primers everywhere. Most authors use the same method of writing to get there reader or readers thinking and visualizing their literary intentions. This method also considered the main inspiration for reading.

Read More
483 Words | 2 Pages

What gives the reader that feeling of being on the edge of their seat? Why would he want the reader to anticipate what’s going to happen next? That is how the author expresses tension. The author does this by using literary devices. Edgar Allen Poe builds suspense in “The Black Cat” by using specific literary devices—foreshadowing, allusion, and slow pace.

Read More
463 Words | 2 Pages

I believe that the narrators from all three Edgar Allen Poe stories, “The Cask of Amontillado”, “The Black Cat”, and “The Tell Tale Heart”, were all horrible in their own unique ways. If I had to choose one narrator that stood out to me by being horrifying it would be from “The Black Cat” The narrator is horrifying because he explains that he really isn’t crazy, he stabbed Pluto in the eye, and because he was so content after killing his wife. The narrator is horrifying because he has to explain that he isn’t really crazy. When you have to explain that you’re not crazy to someone that normally means that you are probably crazy.

Read More
1366 Words | 6 Pages

One early experience that shaped and influenced Poe’s writing was the death of both of his parents before he was three years old. Equally important to what impacted Poe, was that his foster dad never legally adopted him, and then died in 1834. His wife, Virginia Eliza Clemm Poe, died of tuberculosis in January 30, 1847(“Edgar Allan Poe” 1). Edgar Allan Poe was forced to leave school and quit going to the US Military Academy, because he did not have sufficient funds to keep going (“Edgar Allan. Poe” 2).

Read More
569 Words | 3 Pages

In the winter of 1897 his love, Virginia, died from of tuberculosis at the age of 24(Poe Museum). After his wife’s death Poe turned to alcohol to cope and become very erratic(The Literature Network). Poe ended up moving back to Richmond and marrying his first fiance that left him for another man. Edgar Allen Poe died on October 7, 1849 and the cause wasn't

Read More
1112 Words | 5 Pages

The deaths that he faced were of his mom who died of Tuberculosis at the age of 24, and his dad who died of alcoholism and abandoned them when Poe was 2 years of age. Likewise, Poe was adopted by a foster family but unfortunately, his foster mother died of Tuberculosis. In addition, the foster family didn’t want to give

Read More
1105 Words | 5 Pages

For example, the black spot next to someones name on the slip of paper represented that they were chosen for death because black usually represents death “It had a black spot on it, the black spot Mr. Summers had made the night before” “It isn't fair, it isn't right," Mrs. Hutchinson screamed, and then they were upon her”. “A stone hit her on the side of the head” This proves that the black dot represents death because those selected with it next to their name will be stoned to death. There may also be speculation that the black spot may represent a stone but it may just be in theory that it does. A second example of symbolism would be the black box, now the black box can be used to represent many different things in the short story, the main thing the black box represented was how it was passed down from generation to generation (Literary 3) “The original paraphernalia for the lottery had been lost long ago, and the black box now resting on the stool had been put into use even before Old Man Warner, the oldest man in town”.

Read More
238 Words | 1 Pages

Edgar Allen Poe’s life was riddled with pain and sorrow. Poe’s father abandoned him a year after his birth, with the death of his mother soon after. Now a foster child that was never fully accepted by his foster family. In 1836 he married is 13-year-old cousin, Virginia Clemn, and in 1847 she dies of tuberculosis.

Read More
628 Words | 3 Pages

Edgar Allen Poe’s father had deserted them when he was a very young boy and he didn’t know how his own father could do that to his own blood and flesh. Edgar’s mother tragically died when he was at age two. When he was a young boy his parents were traveling actors. After his mother died in 1811, Edgar Allen Poe had become a ward for John Allen who was an incredibly wealthy Richmond merchant and had everything that Poe wished he had but didn’t have at all.

Read More
981 Words | 4 Pages

There is something about horror that always captivated humans. We are engaged with fright because it boosts our adrenaline and curiosity. Over the years, humans have found many ways to satisfy this morbid fascination such as watching scary movies or reading terrifying stories. Edgar Allan Poe was a famous writer for his wide range of horror stories he offered to his readers. In his work, Edgar Allan Poe communicates the meaning and purpose of the stories through complex moods.

Read More
608 Words | 3 Pages

The Pit And The Pendulum Literary Analysis In the pit and the pendulum, a short story by edgar allen poe, the narrator is receiving “the sentence—the dread sentence of death”. Soon after the news, he faints and wakes up in complete darkness. After a little exploring, the narrator discovers a large pit and he stumbles to the ground where he falls asleep. Soon after awakening, he finds water and bread.

Read More
484 Words | 2 Pages

Poe’s father left the family early on in his life and his mother passed away from tuberculosis at the age of three.

Read More
973 Words | 4 Pages

Elza Steelmane describes Poe’s life experiences in Discourse of Disease as, “loss very early on in his life. His father left the family when he was three, and his mother passed away, not long after, from Tuberculosis. There is some sources that say Poe’s father also had TB and died within days of his mother. These deaths, while probably giving him abandonment issues, were still not catastrophic for him. He was far too young to take it all in.

Read More
1252 Words | 6 Pages

Soon after losing his beloved wife Lenore, the narrator alone in his mansion and becomes almost hysterical when he sees a raven with demonic eyes. The raven symbolizes death that narrator believes is coming for him. In the story, the narrator illustrates “And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting on the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door; And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming, And the lamp-light o’er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor; And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor” Ravens are often associated with death which may be because they are black and black is looked upon as the color of death. The audience may also indicate that the bird represents the Angel of Death which many imagine being dressed in black. The bird continues to only repeat the words “nevermore” as the narrator questions it.

Read More
915 Words | 4 Pages

Psychoanalysis (or Freudian brain science) is a collection of thoughts created by Austrian doctor Sigmund Freud and preceded by others. It is basically

Read More

More about Motifs And Symbolism In Edgar Allan Poe's The Black Cat

Open Document