Comparing Poe's The Black Cat And The Raven

Throughout all the short stories and poems written by Edgar Allan Poe, some connections can be made on the content, as in “The Black Cat”, and “The Raven”, are two narratives written by Poe, that unveil the themes and symbols he often uses in his work. Poe is on the mysterious side, but he is also taking the life he is given, and making his narratives raw and realist by some degree. Poe uses techniques that left him express his imagination through writing. There are many different ideas and questions arising from all his work. “The Black Cat” and “The Raven”, are two narratives that use similar themes and symbols that allow readers to receive a small connection of the madness inside of the narrators.
“The Black Cat” is one of Poe’s most memorable

Badenhausen states that “The progression of emotion from horror to terror to dread, each more indescribable than the previous, nicely captures the speaker’s descent into the valley of existentialist despair” (493). Badenhausen has a valid point, because in the opening paragraph of “The Black Cat”, Poe indicates that, “…these events have terrified-have tortured-have destroyed me” (Poe 718). The events that were in “The Black Cat”, would terrify and haunt any individual. The narrative reveals his feelings once morning comes around about the crime he has committed, “…I experienced a sentiment half of horror, half of remorse, for the crime of which I had been guilty” (Poe 719). Unfortunately, this does not last. Once the day goes by, and night has come, a new cycle begins, and the guilt is all shed away. This reveals that the narrator’s judgement isn’t stable. Along with horror and guilt, there is an example of freedom that in within “The Black Cat”. The narrator says, “For months I could not rid myself of the phantasm of the cat; and, during this period, there came back into my spirit a half-sentiment that seemed, but was not, remorse” (Poe 721). This sentence begins to trap the narrator; it represents the cat that was found on his bedroom wall after the fire. The events were not the only way readers can see the horror in this narrative. This narrative includes many themes that are reoccurring, by implying symbolism and imagery throughout this