文档介绍：Symbolism in The Black Cat
As an important writer in the 19th century history of American literature, Edgar Allan Poe erbeginstoleavethebar, thesecond blackcatbeginstofollowhimandthis is symbolic oftheguiltthatfollowsthe narrator. Thenarratornoticesthatthesecondblack cat is symbolic of the guilt that the narrator is carrying. The narrator notices that at night the second black cat sits on his chest, just as the narrator’s guilt is doing.
Finally, the white spot found on the second black cat’s chest is symbolic of the burden that the narrator carries on his heart. The second black cat has s splotch of white covering nearly the whole region of its breast, which at times changes forms. The color of the spot, white, is an archetypal symbol that has a universal meaning of purity and light. This white spot on the heart of the second black cat is symbolic of the purity of the first black cat’s heart. The white spot changes to the form of gallows, which is symbolic of the guilt of the narrator. So basically the white spot serves as a punishment t
o the narrator inflicted by the second black cat.
The first black cat, the second black cat and the white spot are the three most important symbols in this story. Each one of these symbols represents the evil and perversenessof the narrat