In Edgar Allan Poe's, The Black Cat, an unnamed narrator tells the tale of his slide into insanity on the eve of his execution. Although he claims that he is not mad, the story he tells and the acts he has done show otherwise. According the narrator, he is being tormented by an evil black cat that is the source of all his troubles. But through close reading of the story, the main character's slide into complete madness becomes more evident. Poe uses several literary devices in order to show the narrators fall into madness.

Before telling about his fall into madness, the narrator showcases his peaceful nature by stating he was "noted for the docility and humanity of my disposition"(Poe, 2). There is alliteration here with the words "docility" and "disposition". The use of this alliteration works to further connect the idea that the narrator originally sees himself as a peaceful person. He also states his love for animals and how he was at his happiest when he was with them. This shows his initial disposition was one of compassion and kindness, yet he becomes the polar opposite of what he describes himself as in the beginning of the story. Poe sets up the narrator's transition by demonstrating his initial peaceful nature.

Poe's use of literary devices further show the narrator's thought process behind his violent outbursts. The first outburst he has is when he comes home from a drunken stupor and gouges Pluto's eye out because the cat had scratched him. After gauging the Pluto's eye out, the narrator claims he still "had so much of my own heart left."(Poe, 9), meaning he feels remorse for what he has done and still wishes to be kind to the animal. However, these feelings change in a drastic way for the narrator soon becomes angry again, highlighted by the quote, "And then came, as if to my final and irrevocable overthrow, the spirit of PERVERSENESS(Poe, 9). The word "perverseness" is capitalized here to highlight the narrator's shift in his outlook on life. It is a massive change from his original description of himself. He then hangs the innocent cat for no other reason than carry out a perverse act. Poe uses repetition of the word "because"(Poe, 9) to highlight the senseless reasons the narrator uses for hanging the cat. The repetition draws the reader's attention to the reasons, which include, knowing that the cat had loved him, knowing that the cat had given him no reason for offense, and finally knowing that by hanging the cat the narrator was committing a sin that would jeopardize his soul. To a sane person, all of these are reasons not to kill the innocent cat but rather to love and cherish the company the cat provides. However, the insanity of the narrator is shines through and is supported by the literary devices that Poe uses.

Imagery is heavily used throughout The Black Cat to further show the narrator's unstable mind. The cat itself is often the subject of the narrator's description. All of the images of the cat described to the reader are seen through the narrator's eyes. This means that what is told is what he believes he saw, and not necessarily what actually happened. For example, when he hangs the cat, that very night, his house burns to the ground and all that is left standing is a wall with a figure of a cat. There is a very detailed description of what the wall looks like. "upon the white surface, the figure of a gigantic cat ...  a rope about the animals neck."(Poe, 11). The narrator also goes on to say the impression of the cat on the wall was "given with an accuracy truly marvelous"(Poe, 11). This example of strong imagery focuses on the narrator's obsession with Pluto and how he truly begins to believe the cat is behind his actions, when in reality it is himself going insane. The chances of there actually being a perfect image of a hanged cat on the wall of a burned down house are very slim. Therefore it is safe to assume it is just the narrator's twisted version of what he saw. Imagery is also used to describe the second black cat with great detail and further prove the narrator's insanity. He believes that slowly, the white mark on the cat's stomach turns into a clear outline of the gallows. To the narrator, the cat was foreshadowing his fate based on the white mark on its stomach. This is an absurd thought and clear evidence that the narrator is extremely paranoid and losing his mind. The imagery of the gallows on the stomach further backs up this point. It is highly unlikely there could actually be an image of the gallows on a cat's stomach but the narrator believes there is, once again showing his insanity. The final imagery of the cat is when it gives away the location of the narrator's wife's body. The narrator describes the cat, which is lying on top of the body, as having a "red extended mouth and solitary eye of fire" (Poe, 32). This description is similar to many descriptions of the devil. And by comparing the cat to the devil, the narrator's belief that the cat is out to get him becomes more clear when in reality it is much more likely that the narrator is just a madman making up excuses for killing his wife. The narrator's vivid descriptions of the cat show his unstable mind.

Through several different literary devices, Edgar Allan Poe follows a man's plummet down to a dark state of mind. The narrator is sure that it is the black cat causing all of his distress, but it is never confirmed that the cat is responsible for all of the narrator's violent swings. At the same time, it is never confirmed that the cat is not responsible either. So in this way it is left ambiguous by Poe for the reader to decide whether the narrator has simply lost his mind or whether the black cat is tormenting him. On one side, there is evidence of the cat being a supernatural being whose purpose seems to be only to torment and drive the narrator into madness. But on the other hand, the narrator can also simply be seen as an alcoholic who has no self-control and turns violent when he goes on drunken stupors. The latter is the much more likely scenario, but there is still a seed of doubt that the cat could possibly be tormenting him. In the end it doesn't matter which case is true. The narrator is still held responsible for his actions like all people should be. 

