How does Poe create fear in The Black Cat?Edgar Allan Poe was widely regarded as the master of Gothic fiction and wrote many short stories in the early 1800s. He used the power of emotion to create macabre and powerful characters. The story The Black Cat, first published in 1843, was very typical of this genre and era. Poes use of macabre symbolism and vivid insight into a madmans psyche combine well to instil fear into the reader.Symbolism is a very powerful tool in establishing and intensifying fear. The black cat, as in the title of the story, is a powerful symbol in itself being connected to witchcraft and being thought of as evil in most parts of the world. Poe leaves his narrator unnamed to maintain a sense of detachment from the reader believing that theyre getting to know him. On the contrary, the specific naming of the first cat as Pluto significantly reminds us of the Roman God of the Underworld. Pluto the cat then symbolizes and foreshadows death. The development of the white fur on the second cat also foreshadows the mans death. It is also a reflection of the mans gradual consumption by insanity.The development of the narrator is vital to the story. Without this, the story wouldnt exist. When we are first introduced to him, he strongly declares his own sanity. Is this the ranting of an insane man, or a moment of lucid sanity of a rational man? As the story progresses, the actions of the narrator become more and more disturbed and terrific. He also drinks more and more. This is linked to the violence towards his wife and his animals. In face many of his violent outbursts were probably caused because of the alcohol rather than the black cat. The cat(s) character was also vividly developed. Very near the start of the story, the narrator describes his then delightful pet. But slowly both characters change. The cats, only distinguishable by the second having a white spot, are exactly the same, which leaves the reader to question whether they are one and the same.Poes mix of disgust and fear in The Black Cat leave the reader shocked. The narrators obvious struggle with alcoholism is a fundamental thought throughout this. Were these events real or imagined? Was the man completely insane, or were there moments of sober guilt.Amalia Korakaki