Edgar Allan Poe's The Black Cat Lecture Notes

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers key terms, plot devices, and psychological concepts mentioned in the discussion of Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Black Cat'.

Pluto

The narrator's first pet cat, described as a big, beautiful, all-black animal and his former 'bestie'.

Fiend Intemperance

The dramatic term the narrator uses to describe his drinking problem and the alcoholism that fueled his transformation into a 'monster'.

Pen knife

The instrument the narrator used to cut out one of Pluto's eyes while in a state of drunken annoyance.

Spirit of Perverseness

A weird human urge described by the narrator as the desire to do something wrong simply because you know you shouldn't.

Bas-relief

A ghostly image of a giant cat with a rope around its neck etched into the only standing wall of the narrator's house after it burned down.

The Second Cat

A replacement animal found at a dive bar that was the same size as Pluto and missing an eye, but distinguished by a white patch on its chest.

Gallows

The specific shape the white patch on the second cat's chest eventually changed into, symbolizing the narrator's guilt and fate.

Cellar

The location where the narrator killed his wife with an axe and then walled her up in a manner compared to a 'medieval monk'.

Cane

The object the narrator used to rap on the brickwork of the cellar wall while bragging to the police, which triggered the cat to scream from inside the tomb.