While I was reading through “The Black Cat”, I happened to notice that there were a lot of mythological and religious influences that played a significant role in the overall tone of the story (in the midst of being very shocked at certain developments). Poe’s inclusion of Greek mythology is very recurrent throughout his other works. Specifically in “The Black Cat”, in which he names the first cat Pluto. The name Pluto holds great significance in Greek mythology, because he was the ruler of the underworld. And in this story, how Poe describes the narrator to be ‘best friends’ and ‘playmates’ with Pluto, can also hold a subliminal meaning of ‘playing with the devil’. I think that Poe used this as a metaphor to display the narrator’s inner darkness or evil. This hellish imagery that is often used really puts across the narrator’s pure anger and ire.

I realised the frequency of the involvement of traditional beliefs and the occult in Edgar Allan Poe’s works. I don’t think I’ve ever come across another writer who overuses superstition and hinting at the supernatural as much as Poe does. We’ve seen this as a common trope in his works “The Raven” and “The Pit and the Pendulum”. However, the truth is that with the absence of these elements, his stories just wouldn’t feel the same. I quite like the mysterious sense that all his poems and stories have. I’ve come to appreciate Poe’s writing style quite a bit, which is why the next horror novel I read will have some high standards to meet.

If this story had a movie adaptation, I want this to be the promotional poster.