Have you ever wondered what makes an ordinary individual become a murderer? In the short story "The Black Cat" by Edgar Allen Poe, the transformation of a loving man, to a paranoid murder is seen. Although this transformation can be seen on the surface of Poe's writing, his use of several different writing techniques enables the reader to not only see the transformation for what it is, but also see it through the eyes of the character that is being transformed. This dynamic is possible because the techniques Poe uses allows the reader to connect what is going on in the story to what they have experienced thus far in their life. In "The Black Cat," Edgar Allen Poe uses rhetorical devices to reveal the psychological transformation of the main character.

In any story, an author will use specific words in order to create a desired mood or tone. When looking into the word choice used in "The Black Cat," a shift in mood is seen simply by the change of vocabulary throughout the story. In the beginning of the story specifically, the narrator uses words like "faithful," "friendship," and best of all "tenderness of heart" when describing his older self, as well as his past relationship with his dog (Poe 1). These words create a welcoming atmosphere because when spoken, a sense of peacefulness is instilled in the reader. However, looking at the progression of the vocabulary throughout the story, a change can be seen in the tone of the narrator. When the narrator began to describe the feelings the cat ignited within him, he used words such as "dreaded," "agony," "loathed," and "death" (Poe 4,5). All of which have a very vulgar tone when spoken and not only create a dark and frightening atmosphere, but also portray the narrator as being angry and threatening. One word in particular that was interesting was chimaera, which the narrator used to describe the possible capabilities he thought his black cat possessed. Rooted in Greek mythology, chimaera represents a lion with a goat's head coming out of its back and a snake as its tail (Greek Mythology). This comparison puts into question the sanity of the narrator because he is comparing his house cat to a mythological creature that breathes fire, an obvious impossibility. The evolution of his word choice from pleasant and loving to threatening and evil shows a definite psychological transformation because he changed from a compassionate individual to someone who thinks every situation is driven by evil. Poe isn't just able to make us question the sanity of the reader through word choice, but also through the use of symbolism. By doing this, he forces the reader to look for a meaning that extends beyond what is understood on the surface. 

Symbols have the ability to yield many different interpretations, making them a rhetorical device necessary in any great author's arsenal. In the latter portion of the short story, symbolism is used to describe a patch of hair on the black cat the narrator had brought home. He describes this patch by saying "The reader will remember this mark, although, large, had been very indefinite; but, by slow degrees ...  it had, at length, assumed a rigorous distinctness of outline ...  of the GALLOWS!" (Poe 5). This quotation symbolizes the psychological transformation in the narrator because, in his mind, he creates certain physical qualities that don't actually exist. His claim of the changing spot of hair symbolizes a full transformation because since he is recounting these events from his cell on death row, where he is to be hung from the gallows, he begins applying his fate to the story he is telling, foreshadowing his future and showing a loss of reality. Much like symbolism, changing sentence structure can also allow for a more detailed understanding by utilizing common verbal form people use while expressing different emotions. 

Negative feelings of any sort tend to cause lack of enthusiasm, usually expressed through shortness of sentence composition. However, positive feelings have the tendency to create an abundance of enthusiasm which is typically expressed through longer structured sentences. Having this understanding of human emotion, Poe utilizes his knowledge by manipulating sentence structure, allowing his work to have a more thorough connection with the reader. Towards the beginning of the short story while discussing his fondness of domesticated animals he says "To those who have cherished an affection for a faithful and sagacious dog, I need hardly be at the trouble of explaining the nature or the intensity of the gratification thus derivable" (Poe 1). This quote portrays the narrator as being happy and calm because the long and fluid sentence he formed shows his care for the topic he is talking about. However, as the story progresses, a change is seen in sentence structure, specifically when he is describing the white patch of fur on his cat saying " ...  and would have rid myself of the monster had I dared  --  it was now, I say, the image of hideous  --  of a ghastly thing  --  of the GALLOWS!" (Poe 5).  The use of hyphens in this quote creates very choppy dialogue, portraying the narrator as paranoid or anxious because he is talking sporadically rather than taking time to put together a flowing sentence. This change from long to short choppy sentences when speaking shows psychological transformation in the narrator because his mood has completely changed from the beginning of the story to the end of the story while discussing the topic of house pets.  

In "The Black Cat", Edgar Allen Poe is able to show the psychological transformation of the main character through a series of rhetorical devices. By utilizing a wide range of vocabulary, implementing symbols, and diversifying sentence structure, Poe puts the reader inside the story, thus allowing him to express what he wants the reader to absorb. He is successful in showing this transformation by depicting a loving and friendly man at the beginning of the story and showing his evolution into a dark and vicious murderer. Ultimately, Poe forces the reader to find a meaning between the lines of written text; a meaning that is invisible by simply reading the text itself.

