This paper will argue that the narrator in "Black Cat" by Edgar Allan Poe is a psychopath. Edgar Allen Poe is well-known for his short stories and his gothic style. He was born in 1809 in the USA and died in 1849. After studying languages at the University of Virginia he went to the army in the end of the 1820s and started to write short stories in the 1830s.
The narrator of "Black Cat" has been analyzed by different authors. Fisher, for instance, has the intention to figure out the motivation of Poe. His book analyses different short stories with diverse topics. For "Black Cat", he chooses a psychological view. This focus is close to the topic of that work. However, the analysis of Fisher is superficial, because he comes to the conclusion that the narrator is emotionally fragile, without giving a deep argumentation.
The most detailed work is given by Susan Amper and Harold Bloom. Different topics are analyzed; strategies for the interpretation of "Black Cat" were given and different approaches to understanding the narrator are mentioned. That means the story could be read supernatural, psychological or skeptical. Even so, the argumentation could be deeper. For this reason, the psychological analysis of the narrator with a psychological test could be seen as desideratum. Filling that gap, by analyzing him on a psychological way, is the main target of this work.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 Psychopathy
3 Analysis
4 Conclusion
5 Bibliography
Objectives & Core Themes
The primary objective of this paper is to conduct a psychological evaluation of the narrator in Edgar Allan Poe's "The Black Cat" to determine if he exhibits the clinical traits of a psychopath as defined by the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R).
- Application of the PCL-R framework to literary characters
- Evaluation of interpersonal characteristics such as superficial charm and manipulativeness
- Assessment of emotional deficits, including lack of remorse and empathy
- Analysis of behavioral patterns, specifically antisocial conduct and criminal versatility
Excerpt from the Book
3 Analysis
“The Black Cat” is a short story which was published in 1843 (Poe 348). It is about an unknown narrator who tells his story retrospective. He explains how his life changes. Although he has a wife and lots of animals, more and more he transforms his attitude and mistreats his companions. That includes his favourite black cat “Pluto”; he cuts off one eye while being drunk. A few days later, he decides to kill that cat by hanging. During the night, he wakes up because his house burnes down and just one wall with the shadow of the cat is left. After this incident, he finds a new cat which he, after a while, wants to kill as well. His wife tries to stop him. In consequence, that he kills her with an axe. He hides her corpse behind a wall of the basement. However, the police find the body because they hear the voice of the cat which was also trapped in there.
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: This chapter introduces the author Edgar Allan Poe, provides a brief literary context, and outlines the motivation for conducting a psychological analysis of the narrator in "The Black Cat."
2 Psychopathy: This chapter defines the concept of psychopathy by reviewing various psychological perspectives and justifies the selection of the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) as the primary analytical tool.
3 Analysis: This chapter applies the four subcategories of the PCL-R—interpersonal characteristics, emotionlessness, conspicuous change in life, and antisocial behavior—to the narrator’s actions throughout the short story.
4 Conclusion: This chapter summarizes the findings of the analysis, confirming that the narrator reaches a sufficient score on the PCL-R to be classified as a psychopath, and contrasts this conclusion with existing literary criticism.
5 Bibliography: This chapter lists all cited academic sources and primary literature used to support the argument.
Keywords
Edgar Allan Poe, The Black Cat, Psychopathy, PCL-R, literary analysis, psychology, antisocial behavior, superficial charm, lack of remorse, criminal versatility, short story, gothic style, narrator, behavior, personality disorder
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper examines the personality of the narrator in Edgar Allan Poe’s "The Black Cat" through the lens of modern clinical psychology.
Which central thematic fields are explored?
The research explores the intersection of gothic literature and criminal psychology, specifically focusing on diagnostic criteria for personality disorders.
What is the primary research question?
The paper aims to answer whether the narrator of the story fulfills the clinical criteria to be formally classified as a psychopath.
Which scientific method is utilized for the analysis?
The author utilizes the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R), an assessment tool consisting of 20 items divided into four subcategories.
What topics are discussed in the main analysis?
The analysis covers the narrator's interpersonal traits, his lack of emotional depth, his antisocial conduct, and his patterns of criminal versatility as portrayed in the narrative.
How are the keywords characterized for this work?
The keywords highlight the literary subject matter, the psychological methodology, and the specific behavioral traits assessed in the text.
How does the author interpret the narrator's reaction to the police?
The author interprets the narrator's calmness and his decision to mock the police as evidence of high self-esteem and a failure to accept responsibility for his crimes.
Why does the paper argue against the interpretation of James W. Gargano?
The paper argues that whereas Gargano views the narrator as a victim of moral sickness, the current analysis suggests the narrator is a well-organized, manipulative individual who is fully aware of his actions.
- Quote paper
- Christian Schwambach (Author), 2018, The narrator as a psychopath in Edgar Allan Poe’s "Black Cat", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/509056
