nut free nerd

“For the most wild yet most homely narrative which I am about to pen, I neither expect nor solicit belief.”

This story is very reminiscent of “The Tell-Tale Heart” in many aspects, including the narrator’s voice, the reiteration of a central idea, and the ending. As in the other story, the narrator was lacking a certain element of sanity, which is shown through his obsession with the black cat. The black cat is a reoccurring idea throughout the story, much like the white eye in “The Tell-Tale Heart”. Both stories had endings that shared similarities, such as the policemen coming to the house. (If I say any more than that I’ll be giving away too much.) However, despite the many similarities between these two stories they are different enough to still be enjoyable.

This story really made me realize what an amazing writer Poe was. Honestly, he was such a masterful storyteller! The way he narrates the story is absolutely brilliant, because it forces the reader to question whether or not he is reliable and trustworthy. Not only does he expose the manipulability of the narrator’s mind, but he does the same thing to the reader. It’s like his words find their way inside of our minds, grasp hold of our brains, and stubbornly refuse to let go. I mean, take a look at the first sentence of “The Black Cat” (aka the quote at the beginning of this post). IT’S GENIUS. The words flow together like water over rocks, and it’s just so flawless! The last part of it is my favorite, because it is one of the only things about the story that makes the narrator seem sort of sane. The fact that he is aware that his tale is unbelievable, that there is no real chance of convincing the reader otherwise, is a fact that a sane person might accept. Starting with sanity and then gradually becoming more and more insane is just brilliant. Poe truly was a fantastic writer.

Overall, I really really really REALLY enjoyed reading “The Black Cat.” It was creepy and suspenseful and the ending was completely unexpected. Comparing it with “The Tell-Tale Heart” was really interesting, yet this story is nevertheless unique and original.

My Rating: :0) :0) :0) :0) :0) 5 out of 5 smileys.

Would I recommend it to a friend?: ABSOLUTELY.

Yours,

HOLLY