5 Main ideas
Page 1. The beginning of Gothic Fiction from the realistic traditional fiction.
Page 3. Shows the extremes that gothic fiction pushes towards.
Page 4. The background information that is presented to show the relation in real life
Page 5: exploring extreme whether of cruelty, rapacity and fear, or passion and sexual degradation
Page 7. Setting creates a mysterious atmosphere
Out of all the stories discussed in class, the one that stood out to me the most was “The Black Cat” by Edgar Allan Poe. The title of the story is one that I assumed to be sinister, or mysterious. I made this assumption that the “Black Cat” is a symbol of mysterious and sinister events because I watch a lot of movies and shows which portray scenes with black cats. Most of these scenes turn out to have bad endings, which is exactly what happened in this story.
The story has many events to it which contributes to the plot and ending. Throughout the story, we as the readers are able to see the insanity of the narrator and the reason behind his actions. From killing his black cat, Pluto, to later taking inside another black cat and killing his wife, all these events show the result of the narrator’s state of mind in which alcohol consumption plays a major role. What makes this story very interesting to me is the symbol of the black cat. Throughout the story, we see the resemblance of the black cat as being a sort of karma which comes back around at the narrator for all the insane things he did. The white patched fur on the second black cat symbolizes a form of guilt that is put on the narrator because of how it grows into the shape of the narrator’s hanging of Pluto, a black cat which was the narrator’s favorite pet. Also, the appearance of the black cat around the end of the story which leads to the police finding out about the corpse of the narrator’s wife also implies the black cat as being a symbol of unfortunate events.
Overall, this was a very interesting story to read. Edgar Allan Poe’s use of symbols and plot twists in the story gave the readers to have a point of the view of the narrator, and how he experienced the feeling of guilt at the end which led to his death.
“The Black Cat” by Poe and “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Gilman.
Characters:
What do the characters desire in the stories? Do they fight against normalcy or desire it?
What affect does the narration style of both stories have on the understandings of the narrator?
What similarities do the charactres share?
Do they have any differences?
Similarities:
First person narrative
Both characters fight against normalcy.
Both characters act against their spouses
Both the characters show violence and madness
The readers get a direct understanding of the character’s emotions and state of mind
The fantastic definition of Todorov is seen in both characters
Symbolism is seen in both stories
Differences:
“The Black Cat” shows more gore and violence and symbolizes guilt
“The Yellow Wallpaper” symbolizes the desire for freedom
The main character from “The Black Cat” faces consequences for his actions.
The protagonist from “The Yellow Wallpaper” expressed more psychological emotions while the protagonist from “The Black Cat” expresses emotions that are more violent and extreme.
Conclusion:
The first person narration style used in both of the stories allowed the readers to get a better understanding of the character’s intentions and desires. Literary device such as symbolism utilized the gothic definitions in both stories.
© 2024 ENGLISH 2001 INTRODUCTION TO FICTION, FALL 2021 (535)
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