Summary of “The Black Cat” In the short story, “The Black Cat” by Edgar Allan Poe, the main character explains that he has performed a series of household events that has destroyed him. To which then, he goes into explaining the story of the events that happened. The main character is very fond of animals, which him and his wife purchase variety of them. The pet that was named his favorite was a black cat they named Pluto. Their friendship last years, until his acquired drunkenness that grew to violence. His anger and violence never affected his dear cat until one light coming home immensely intoxicated. He became so angry with it that he used a knife to cut out one of it’s eyes from the socket. Soon after this event had happened, he longed …show more content…
To his pleasure the cat followed it home and stayed with him, soon becoming his wife’s favorite. Before long, the man’s drunkenness started to take over, and he found himself slowly starting to loathe the animal. Although he hated this cat, he knew his wife was fond of it and he did not want the same outcome as before. Darkness and evil thoughts soon consumed him causing him to act unreasonably. Once he got mad at the cat disturbed the man again, he took an axe and lifted it up to the cat only to be restricted, by his wife, before killing it. With much rage from the disruption he took the axe and buried it in her brain killing her in an instant. He decided he should hide his wife’s body inside the wall in the basement. He did the job and covered it up to the appearance that nothing had happened and the bricks had never been taken apart. The fourth day afterwards, the police came to the man’s house with suspicion of the disappearance of his wife. They searched the house up and down and found nothing. The man was proud of himself for hiding it so well. Just as he was showing the police out the door there was a loud inhuman like scream coming from the basement. The police went to where the sound came from and opened the wall to find the man’s dead wife and the cat that the man did not get to kill. He had accidentally buried it live in the …show more content…
Montresor goes on to explain Fortunato’s weakness, which is his love for wine. One evening, Montresor encounters, an already drunken, Fortunato at a carnival. Montresor tricks Fortunato by telling him that he has wine and believes it is Amontillado. Fortunato is a wine taster and since Amontillado was a rare find, he knew Fortunato would jump at the chance to go down to the vaults to taste it. Montresor then tries to convince Fortunato that he should not go because he has a cold and the vaults are very damp. He insists that he should get Luchresi to taste it instead. Luchresi is Fortunato’s greatest enemy and Montresor knows that will definitely make Fortunato come with him. As they start to descend down the catacombs, Montresor gives Fortunato a bottle of wine to drink so he is able to stay drunk and gullible. They traveled to the darkest catacombs and finding skulls and bones. They soon reached the extremity of a niche where there hung two iron staples with a chain and padlock. As Fortunato stood confused, Montresor took him by the waist and chained him to the wall. Fortunato was kept asking where the Amontillado was. Montresor did not answer but instead started to build a tier of a wall to seal Fortunato in. This action made Fortunato start to sober up. He soon started to cry out to
Poe carefully details the most brutal scenes of his stories, a quality shared by many of his works. Within “The Black Cat,” three situations stand to illustrate Poe’s message: when the narrator stabs out Pluto’s eye, when the narrator hangs Pluto, and when the narrator murders his wife. Before the first violent act described in the story, the narrator is known to be a drunkard who abused his wife. No matter how despicable this may be, he is still a somewhat ordinary man. Nothing majorly sets him apart from any another, relating him to the common man. However, his affinity towards alcohol, led to “the fury of a demon” (2) that came over him as he “grasped the poor beast by the throat” (2) and proceeded to “cut one of its eyes from the socket.” (2) Poe’s gruesome description of the narrator as a destructive demon, one who was awakened by alcohol, connects his behavior to the common working-class man. Alcohol is a legal drug that can be obtained by many, and when consumed in excess leads to the uncontrollable madness that ensued. The descriptions of the act plants fear into the hearts of the readers, especially those who have consumed alcohol, of ever becoming such a
Montresor must trick and manipulate Fortunato to accomplish his goal of revenge. He tells Fortunato the reason he is at the ...
Meanwhile as Fortunato was concocting his plan beneath the earth, Montressor was heading back to his house feeling slightly guilty about what he had done. “He insulted me, he made me to be less that I am, he had it coming.”, Montressor told himself reassuringly. But that did not erase the ominous tone he now felt in the vaults. Something was not quite right since he pushed that last brick into place in Fortunato’s tomb. Shaking the feeling off as best as he could he reached the top of the catacombs and entered his home with a taste for the barrel of wine that he knew was Amontillado all along. After his drink he returned to his bedroom for the night and before he fell asleep he heard a small voice in his head saying that Fortunato was still alive and that he was coming for him.
This man, Montresor is cunning and manipulative, as he'll get what he wants through trickery or deception. Montresor is sly because he notes that Fortunato is proud for being such a renowned wine connoisseur; therefore he utilizes this exploit to lure him into his trap. And so, Montresor appealed to his confidence of wine expertise by saying, “'As you're engaged I am on the way to Luchesi.' ”(133) This stirs up Fortunato's pride and makes him offer to check Montresor's amontillado instead of Luchesi, his supposed rival in wine expertise. Additionally, he plans the date of his murder on the carnival so Fortunato would be drunk as well as being inconspicuous to wear a mask and a costume so nobody would be able to identify the person that went off with Fortunato. When Fortunato arrives at the vault he makes a scene where he seems genuinely caring and toasts him, “'And I to your long life.' ”(135) The irony is that Fortunato won't have to wait long before his demise and that Montresor only said it to advert suspicion from Fortunato. He managed to trick Fortunato until the very end which proves how clever he is.
While Montresor has become fatally involved in his plan of revenge he still has not forgotten that Fortunato is a friend. When they are ready to go to the vaults, Montresor shows concern for Fortunato’s health.
Montresor takes full advantage of the fact that Fortunato has a soft spot for fine wines. Montresor seeing that the only opportunity that he would have to exert revenge would be when wine is to be drunk in surplus decides to wait until the Carnival Season. We are told of one evening during the season when Montresor invites Fortunato over to his place. The major reason for the invite is to have Fortunato taste a sample of sherry that he had acquired to ascertain if the s...
He did not show even by words that he is going to kill. Also, he did not let Fortunato to know that he intended any grudge against him “..neither by word nor deed had I given Fortunato cause to doubt my good will... He did not perceive that my smile now was at the thought of his immolation (8-10).” One night while Fortunato was drunk, Montresor told him that he bought a barrel of wine called Amontillado “But I have received a pipe of what passes for Amontillado, and I have my doubts (25).” He understood that Fortunato “prided himself on his connoisseurship in wine (12).” He attracted him to going to his house to check the drink by saying that he might invite Luchresi to do it, a seeming rival of Fortunato 's, instead “As you are engaged, I am on my way to Luchresi. If any one has a critical turn it is he. He will tell me (37-38).” When they left, Montresor put on a mask and quickly took the way to his property. He was sure nobody could see them together on Fortunato 's last night. Moreover, Montresor completely knew Fortunato and used the knowledge versus him. He planned his deed carefully and carried it out slowly. It seems that Montresor anticipated his revenge with joy. While they traveled down the cavern, Montresor gives Fortunato many opportunities to leave. Fortunato looks weak against the niter, which is growing on the walls, and repeatedly coughs. Montresor commented on Fortunato 's health and asked
The short story the “Black Cat” begins with the narrator of the story telling his side of events that have occurred throughout his life. When first being introduced to the narrator you can tell something is off with him. The narrator is originally a well-put together man he has a wife and many of different animals but has a much greater love for one of his animals named Pluto a black cat. As the life of the narrator goes on he falls into a drinking problem he cant stop drinking and when he does drink he gets violent. One night when
In “The Black Cat”, the main character is consumed so much by his madness, which grows more and more as the story goes on and eventually ends with him being put in jail for murder of his wife. The madness first starts when his love for his black cat, Pluto,turns to utter hatred. He stabs out the
Montresor uses Fortunato’s “weak point…He prided himself on his connoisseurship in wine” (108). Montresor perceives Fortunato’s pride as “kryptonite,” but perceives his own pride as a strength. He preys upon Fortunato’s determination to taste an imaginary cask of amontillado, by teasing his plans to have another man Luchresi, taste the wine; Montresor says, “If anyone has a critical turn, it is he” (109). Fortunato’s pride is incapable of accepting that anyone is better at wine-tasting than himself and says, “You have been imposed upon; and as for Luchresi, he cannot distinguish Sherry from Amontillado” (109), insulting both Montresor and Luchresi. Fortunato is so profoundly blinded by his pride that he fails to see the consequence of his insult to Montresor. Fortunato questions Montresor’s claim of masonry after throwing a bottle up into the air. Even though Montresor did not understand Fortunato’s gesture, Montresor assures him, “Yes, yes,” (111) that he is indeed a mason. Because Fortunato responds, “You? Impossible! A mason?” (111) in such disbelief, he insults Montresor by questioning his masonry, in which also insults Montresor’s family. Unfortunately unaware that his pride led him down a path to his death, he gets caught in Montresor’s
The protagonists Montresor wants to get back at Fortunato for deeply insulting him and Montresor vows for revenge. During the fall carnival, he sees his opportunity and is quick to pounce on this and put his plan into place. “With Fortunato intoxicated and falling and stumbling all over the place Montresor knows that the time is now” (Russell 211). Montresor knows Fortunato’s weakness for wine and Montresor tells him he found Amontillado a very rare wine and it is in his vault. Montresor knows how far Fortunato will go for wine as rare as Amontillado and that is what eventually leads to his tormented and revengeful death.
Can you guess what it is? Yes, you are correct. The boy kills the cat with his Dad’s stick. We know the boy hates the cat because it’s described as “snug in it’s fur, hot blood in a muff”. This is a very effective metaphor describing the innocent living creature who is no longer alive because of the boy.
When they arrive at the Montresor estate, Montresor leads Fortunato down the stairs into the catacombs. Down here is where the Amontillado Fortunato is going to taste and where the revenge of Montresor is going to take place. As he get closer and closer, the narrator opens up more and more to how he is going to kill his "friend". It sound like it is a premeditated murder. Montresor seems so inconspicuous that he acts like he cares about Fortunato which is still a part of his plan.
spanish sherry. Montresor uses deception by assuring the amontillado is being held in the Montresor family catacombs. Montresor’s ability to find the weakness of his enemy and carry out a plan accordingly shows the wicked horror in which the way the narrator thinks. Therefore, making the reader horrified and uplifting the dark tone of the story. Another occurrence that helped uplift the mood was Montresor’s toast to Fortunato 's “long life.” “ Here I knocked off the neck of the bottle..”’drink”’ he said. “‘To the buried that repose around us”’ “‘ And I to your long life”’. The action of manipulation is shown by Montresor giving Fortunato more alcohol, making him even more drunk and more capable to go through with his plan. The alcohol dulls
Poe, Edgar Allan. "The Black Cat." Leonard, George McMichael and James S. Concise Anthology of American Literature. Pearson Education, Inc., 2011. 512-518. Short Story.