black cat

杜鐵梅

【Abstract】The black cat is a masterpiece of short fiction of Poe. He successfully solved the problem of creating of the horror effect by using scene description， symbol， repetition and first-person narrative methods. And created a complete and unified mysterious terror， achieved the effect of shocking. This paper aims to discuss the mystery in-depth and to enrich the research system in Poes novels.

【Key words】black cat； terror atmosphere； effect； image； symbol； description

1. The reflection of terror effect

1.1 Description of the scenes

Poe is the ace who uses scenes to add shading to the terrorist atmosphere. He usually sets an environment for people， the cellar， the tomb and the dark corridor.The dim or frightening of the space will make the criminal mentality of the hero to be externalized.And besides it will make the readers be immersed in these particular scenarios as show in the following text：

1.2 Usage of symbols

1.2.1 The black cat Pluto

In western legend， the black cat is always regarded as unlucky and the symbol of evil. Pluto， which is the name of the ruler in Greek mythology. In mythology， Pluto is often the God that can represent the terrible images. So it not only covered a layer of mysterious color， but also endowed with the symbolism of evil. Its symbolic meaning is to lead people to the temptation of degeneration and crime. 'In this literature work， there are two cats， one is called Pluto， then what does the other represent for ？ Pluto， which is the name of a planet in Roman tales and it represents for death and evil. While in the Middle Ages of Europe， cats can also be the pets of the wicked， especially for the black cats. So cats are always with mysterious cloak. The image of cat is used to create an atmosphere of terror and produce a kind of psychological fear for the readers. And this story is unfolding in such an atmosphere， besides the readers are shrouded in such a condition.

From the description of the writer we can judge that at first the relation between my wife and the cat is harmonious. This kind of unity is rooted in the depth of human nature as well as in physical properties. However， as the change of the plot， this kind of unity is broken. Thus it is easy to find that the black cat Pluto is in a state of normal， harmonious and united. And it is interlinked with my nature and normal personality. Then the plot plummet， “i”begin to drink excessively， hit his wife and be cruel to animals. That is to say his nature personality begins to lose.

1.2.2 The second cat

It is written in the work that “i” regret to kill the first black cat. So he tried to find another cat that is of similar appearance with Pluto in the inferior places， It is also for this motivation determines the coming of the second black cat， but more the essence the difference！ “...I began to feel sad about losing the animal. So I began to look for another one...”. Under such condition， the second cat appeared， which is similar to Pluto. Firstly， in appearance， they are the same in addition to the chest. Secondly， they have the same habits and both like to play with us.But it makes me become more anxiety and unhappy. Because it recalls me the previous faults and feel guilty for killing Pluto， this is a kind of psychological self judgment performance. This kind of fear makes him regard the white spot on the chest of the cat as the scaffold. In some way， the image of cat contains the image of self judgment. The white spot on the cat is also important image in the story， from the story we know that few days after Pluto was hanged， a similar cat with white spot on his chest appeared， and the white spot gradually showed the shape of the scaffold that made the hero fear. In other words， it awakes his crimes and causes his guilty， at the same time， increases the terror of the work.

1.3 First-person narrative

To use the first person narration in the most iconic features in Poes novels and the black cat is not an exceptions， the narrator to analyze the process of crime by the identity of the dead， language used to be very clear and logical， and he has such a clear mind for himself that makes him proud of himself. However， when he is as very satisfied he betrayed his language and behavior， as a result， unveiled its own crimes. As a first person narration， he is not the mouthpiece of the authors nor a reliable narrator. He pays more attention to the arose of the mind terror. In order to achieve this effect and make the story to be more authenticity， the first person narration used in most of his works. This kind of description shapes the nervous role of the eccentric protagonist.

2. Conclusion

Although the black cat is a short story but fascinating， it is because of the usage of specific techniques to describe the writers inner world.Each image is used in the paper through thoughtful arrangement， so not only create terrorist atmosphere， but also on the readers formed a great attraction to the readers. The building of terrorist atmosphere in the black cat perfectly showed the unified theory of Poe：“A smart and sophisticated novelist who is engaged in the creation， not for his own thoughts after some processing shoehorned into his story， but a carefully planned in advance and formulate a unique， distinctive effect.” Reflected in the black cat， a variety of writing techniques and the use of art form is designed for pursuing terrorist effect.

References：

[1]Bloom，Clive.Reading Poe，Reading Freud：The Romantic Imagination in Crisis.New York：St.Martins Press，1988.