The Black Cat By Edgar Allan Poe The Narrator as a Youth / Young Man Personality: Tenderness of heart Disposition: Docile, gentle, humane Friends: Had some; they joked about his tender-heartedness Early Issues He MISTRUSTED PEOPLE even as a young man thought animals were more trustworthy! The Narrator as a Youth/ Young Man Marriage: Wife had the same likes as he did, esp. for animals Pets: Birds, goldfish, dog, rabbit, monkey, cat Changes in the Narrator Personality Disposition Friends Marriage Pets Narrator and Wife He treated her with Intemperate language Personal violence Narrator & Pluto FIRE! I approached and saw, as if graven in bas relief upon the white surface, the figure of a gigantic cat. After the Fire Changes in Lifestyle After the Fire The Second Cat A Wife’s Revenge? Women & marriage in early 1800s Power of suggestion Repressed/dulled guilt Final Downfall A Cat’s Revenge? What Goes Around Comes Around Poe, Catarina, and Virginia