The Black Cat

“The Black Cat” is a Gothic horror tale by Edgar Allan Poe, who relies on supernatural elements to portray the dark side of human nature. The tale was first published in The Saturday Evening Post in August 1843 and examines The Sources of Sin, The Consequences of Alcohol Addiction, and Science Versus the Supernatural through the lens of an unreliable narrator.

This study guide refers to the version of “The Black Cat” published in The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe (Vintage Books, September 1975).

Content Warning: This short story contains depictions of animal cruelty, alcohol addiction, domestic violence, and mental illness.

An unnamed narrator indicates he is to be executed the next day and promises to tell his tale, cautioning that it is both “homely” and “wild.” He says he will present the mysterious events “plainly, succinctly, and without comment” (223), leaving their interpretation up to future readers. Though his story terrifies him, a “more logical” mind may find it completely ordinary or detect a chain of cause and effect.

The narrator describes his youth and early affinity toward animals, for which he is mocked by his peers and indulged by his parents with various pets.