"Black Cat" by Edgar Allan Poe

"Black Cat" 

by Edgar Allan Poe

Read by Michael Mosier

"Black Cat" by Edgar Allan Poe is a chilling short story that delves into themes of guilt, superstition, and the human capacity for violence. The story is narrated by an unnamed man who recounts his descent into madness, driven by alcohol and a series of disturbing events involving his pets, particularly a black cat named Pluto.

The narrator initially describes himself as a kind and gentle person who loves animals. However, his temperament changes drastically as he becomes increasingly addicted to alcohol. In a fit of drunken rage, he mutilates Pluto by gouging out one of the cat's eyes. Despite his remorse the following day, his violent tendencies worsen. Eventually, he hangs Pluto from a tree, killing the cat out of a perverse sense of anger and frustration.

That night, his house burns down, leaving only one wall standing. On the wall, the narrator and onlookers find the impression of a giant cat with a noose around its neck. Haunted by this image, the narrator adopts another black cat, remarkably similar to Pluto but with a white patch on its chest. This new cat also loses an eye and begins to incite the narrator's ire.

Consumed by paranoia and guilt, the narrator's relationship with the new cat deteriorates. One day, while the narrator and his wife are in the cellar, the cat trips him on the stairs. Enraged, he tries to kill the cat with an axe, but his wife intervenes. In a fit of uncontrollable fury, the narrator kills his wife instead and hides her body behind the cellar wall.

The narrator initially feels relief at his crime going undetected. However, the cat, which he had assumed had fled, is also sealed behind the wall. When the police arrive to investigate his wife's disappearance, they hear a wailing sound coming from behind the wall. They tear down the wall and discover the narrator's wife's body with the black cat sitting atop her head, revealing the narrator's guilt and leading to his arrest.

The story ends with the narrator awaiting his execution, acknowledging that his downfall was due to his own actions and the malevolent influence of the cat, a manifestation of his guilt and madness.

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