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Overview
“The Black Cat” is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe originally published in the Saturday Evening Post in 1843
. Like many of Poe’s stories, “The Black Cat” centers a murderous narrator who describes his crimes. Over the course of the story, the narrator transforms from a happy husband and animal lover to a violent man who murders his wife and favorite cat. The narrator of “The Black Cat” differs from Poe’s other narrators because his violence is driven by alcoholism. Many critics consider the story to be Poe’s take on a temperance tale: a story warning of the dangers of alcohol.Read a full story summary, a full story analysis, and explanations of important quotes from “The Black Cat.”
