Shortly after, his wife’s friends note her absence, and the police visit to investigate, but find nothing suspicious, although they conduct a broad examination. “The Black Cat” may not accurately depict Poe’s tangible life – he was a remorseful, if sporadic drunk, and a great lover of cats – it does delve into some of the man’s chief philosophical inquiries, especially those of his later life: can conscience be avoided can personality be irrevocably transformed can guilt be banished can the caverns of the unconscious be regulated and contained? An exploration in the struggle between will and conscience, “The Black Cat” shadows many of the same themes as “William Wilson,” excepting that its doppelgänger – for it has one – is not the replica of the man, but that of his most cherished possession. Nonetheless, its major components – alcoholism, domestic abuse, impulsive murder, and psychological decay – have become synonymous with both Poe the Man and Poe the Writer. Those who carelessly “read into it” as confessional may held responsible for recklessly promoting the Poe myth.
Other than his elegiac poetry (“The Raven,” “Ulalume,” “Annabel Lee”), “The Black Cat” may be interpreted as autobiographic more than any other member of Poe’s canon.
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