Comparing ‘The black cat’ and ‘Lamb to the slaughter’
Both short stories: ‘Lamb to the slaughter’ and ‘The black cat’ share the similarity where murder is committed between a married couple where one is the murderer and the other the victim. Both the murders are committed in the murderers’ house but the motives for both the crimes are different. The openings to both the stories are also dissimilar because they are written in various narrative forms. Tension and suspense is also created by using short phrases.
The opening of ‘The black cat’ gives the reader the knowledge of the narrators past ‘from my infancy I was especially fond of animals’. A lonely image of the narrator is portrayed in the readers mind as he explains he was closer to animals than to people. This opening captures the readers’ interest as to why he is closer to animals than to people and makes the reader wonder if his character will change later on into the story. Opposed to this the opening of ‘Lamb to the slaughter’ describes the setting as to the character: ‘the room was warm and clean... empty chair opposite’. This opening creates a peaceful atmosphere and presents Mary Maloney as warm and lonely. This is effective because it has the reader questioning why she is alone and if she is waiting for anyone or not.
Another similarity between the two stories is that the main characters are both a married couple, however in ‘The black cat’ the husband is the murderer of the wife and in ‘Lamb to the slaughter’ the wife is the murderer of the husband.
The personalities of the wives in both the stories are quite similar. They both adore and love their husbands but the feelings aren’t mutual. In ‘The black cat’ the wife is not named and scarce information is given ab...
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...Maloney’s character and personality. They might sympathise with her as she was ready to plead guilty but changed her mind as she wanted to be certain of her child’s safety. As opposed to this the reader may feel disgust at the narrator of ‘The black cat’ as he showed no guilt at the murder he executed and that of his wife.
Overall in my opinion the most interesting story to read was ‘The black cat’. This is because I found the narrator’s personality intriguing and unusual. The narrator seems to always blame others for his actions: ‘the hideous beast whose craft had seduced me into murder’. He also quotes: ‘I even offered her personal violence’ by saying this, the narrator tries to make it look as if his wife asked him to abuse and disown her. By successfully using different techniques to create the tense and suspension the story became more interesting and curio.
works of literature have tremendous amounts of similarity especially in the characters. Each character is usually unique and symbolizes the quality of a person in the real world. But in both stories, each character was alike, they represented honor, loyalty, chivalry, strength and wisdom. Each character is faced with a difficult decision as well as a journey in which they have to determine how to save their own lives. Both these pieces of literatures are exquisite and extremely interesting in their own ways.
Another extraordinary tale by Edgar Allen Poe is, “The Black Cat”. “The Black Cat” recounts the story of an unnamed narrator with a selfless character. Loving animals, he and his wife have several pets, one of which being a black cat. The narrator and the cat grow very close and life for the narrator seems complete, until he beings drinking. Intoxicated by alcohol, the narrator becomes irritable and abusive. One day, that narrator, infur...
The short story the “Black Cat” begins with the narrator of the story telling his side of events that have occurred throughout his life. When first being introduced to the narrator you can tell something is off with him. The narrator is originally a well-put together man he has a wife and many of different animals but has a much greater love for one of his animals named Pluto a black cat. As the life of the narrator goes on he falls into a drinking problem he cant stop drinking and when he does drink he gets violent. One night when
In the Lamb to the Slaughter, by Roald Dahl and in A Jury of her Peers, by Susan Glaspell, there are many similarities and differences throughout the story.
Lamb to the Slaughter, by Roald Dahl, instantly grabs a reader’s attention with its grotesque title, ensuing someone’s downfall or failure. The saying “lamb to the slaughter,” usually refers to an innocent person who is ignorantly led to his or her failure. This particular short story describes a betrayal in which how a woman brutally kills her husband after he tells her that he wants a divorce. She then persuades the policemen who rush to the scene to consume the evidence. This action and Patrick’s actions show the theme of betrayal throughout the story which Roald Dahl portrays through the use of point of view, symbolism and black humor.
The Bible claims that all men are born in sin,even though some seem to be born pure and just. Yet how we are born does not reflect our decisions later in life. It is possible, and more favorable to live the rest of your life in purity, but some chose to delve deep into the pit of sin, allowing for body and mind to be consumed. As life began for the narrator of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Black Cat” he became a docile and humane man with a love of animals and people alike. After years of slowly succumbing to a reliance on alcohol, he destroys his and his wives lives in a series of events caused by his large cat Pluto. Through this tragic telling of a man’s spiral towards insanity, Edgar Allan Poe uses dramatic syntax formulated with concise yet
Furthermore, Poe’s plot development added much of the effect of shocking insanity to “The Black Cat.” To dream up such an intricate plot of perverseness, alcoholism, murders, fire, revival, and punishment is quite amazing. This story has almost any plot element you can imagine a horror story containing. Who could have guessed, at the beginning of the story, that narrator had killed his wife? The course of events in “The Black Cat’s” plot is shockingly insane by itself! Moreover, the words in “The Black Cat” were precisely chosen to contribute to Poe’s effect of shocking insanity. As the narrator pens these he creates a splendidly morbid picture of the plot. Perfectly selected, sometimes rare, and often dark, his words create just the atmosphere that he desired in the story.
The short story “Lamb to The Slaughter” by Roald Dahl is about the death of a detective who has been murdered by his wife. As officers arrive they can’t seem to find the murder and the murder weapon. The short story Lamb to The Slaughter is interesting to read because the author allows readers to put their own perspective into the book. Another reason is the storyline and finally the theme.
The presence of the two cats in the tale allows the narrator to see himself for who he truly is. In the beginning the narrator explains that his “tenderness of heart made him the jest of his companions”. (251) He also speaks of his love for animals that has remained with him from childhood into manhood. However, Poe contradicts this description of the narrator when he seems to become annoyed with the cat that he claims to love so much. While under the influence of alcohol the narrator is “fancied that the cat avoided his presence”(250) and as a result decides to brutally attack the cat. This black cat symbolizes the cruelty received by slaves from whites. The narrator not only “deliberately cuts one of the cats eyes from the sockets” (250) but he also goes on to hang the cat. Once the narrator successfully hangs the cat the tale begins to take a very dark and gothic-like turn. The racism and guilt of the narrator continues to haunt him once he has killed the black cat. Th...
“The scariest monsters are the ones that lurk within our souls,”- Edgar Allan Poe. The romantic author’s idea of human nature being corrupted by instinctive weakness is reflected in his short story, “The Black Cat”. Throughout the story, the narrator relates internal monologue and conflicting feelings towards his family’s two cats, with his inner demon eventually taking control and forcing him to kill his cats and wife. Poe uses the symbol of black cats to represent the conflicting inner turmoil of a person’s deepest desires and how people are willing to pin blame on anything but their own malevolence.
Edgar Allen Poe’s short story The Black Cat immerses the reader into the mind of a murdering alcoholic. Poe himself suffered from alcoholism and often showed erratic behavior with violent outburst. Poe is famous for his American Gothic horror tales such as the Tell-Tale Heart and the Fall of the House of Usher. “The Black Cat is Poe’s second psychological study of domestic violence and guilt. He added a new element to aid in evoking the dark side of the narrator, and that is the supernatural world.” (Womack). Poe uses many of the American Gothic characteristics such as emotional intensity, superstition, extremes in violence, the focus on a certain object and foreshadowing lead the reader through a series of events that are horrifying and grotesque. “The Black Cat is one of the most powerful of Poe’s stories, and the horror stops short of the wavering line of disgust” (Quinn).
Comparing the Techniques Used by the Writers to Create a Sense of Fear and Tension in The Black Cat, The Red Room and The Yellow Wallpaper
All readers will read and interpret this story in their own way based on their life and their knowledge of marriage. One thing that is indisputable is the emotions which carry through all people and the empowerment in which marriage has on these inspirations. In life love can renew one spirit as well as kill the passion of a person.
No matter which critical interpretation is used, it is evident that Poe's "The Black Cat" is a unique story that relies on key aspects, such as graphic violence and sensational imagery, to heighten the reader's perception toward the limits and depths of the human mind.
From this story we can see the black cat bring some bad or negative thing to narrator’s family, in our life we should leave those evil things away to keep our life be safety. And also we should keep our mind be clear, don't let other unclear or bad things to affect our mind and our life. Also we should try to do some positive thing, go to some positive activity. Avoid same thing happen in our life, just keep away from that negative