The Black Cat is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1843. The story is narrated by an unnamed man who is awaiting execution and wants to confess the events that led to his downfall. He describes himself as once being a gentle and animal-loving person, but he gradually descends into alcoholism and violent behavior. He begins to mistreat his pets and eventually kills his beloved black cat, Pluto, in a fit of rage. Later, a second black cat appears—remarkably similar to Pluto—and begins to haunt the narrator, driving him further into madness.
As the narrator’s mental state deteriorates, he murders his wife in a sudden act of violence and hides her body within the walls of their home. When the police investigate, he confidently shows them around, believing his crime is well concealed. However, he accidentally reveals the murder when he taps on the wall and a chilling cry is heard from behind it. The second cat had been entombed with the corpse, exposing the truth. The story explores themes of guilt, madness, and the supernatural, with Poe using psychological horror to portray the narrator’s descent into darkness and self-destruction.
