Analysis of The Black Cat by Edgar Allan PoeEdgar Allan Poe wrote that the single effect was the most important aspect of a story, to which everything must contribute to this effect. Poe's gothic tale “The Black Cat” was written trying to achieve an effect of shocking madness. In this first-person narrative the narrator recounts his decline from sanity to madness, all because of an obsession with two (or perhaps one) black cats. These ebony creatures finally push him to take the life of his wife, whose death he tries in vain to hide. This tale easily achieved the effect Poe was looking for through the use of setting description, symbolism, plot development, diverse word choice, and detailed character development. In most cases, setting is usually indelible in a story, but “The Black Cat” relies little on this element. This story could have happened anywhere and can be placed in any era. This makes the setting the weakest element of “The Black Cat”. Furthermore, symbolism is always an integral part of every Poe story. The most obvious symbolic reference in this story is the cat's name, Pluto. This is the Roman god of the underworld. Pluto helps create a strong sense of hell and can even symbolize the devil himself. Another immensely symbolic part of “The Black Cat” is the title itself, as onyx cats have long connoted bad luck and misfortune. The most surprising thing about the symbolism of this story or any other Poe story is that there are probably many symbols that only Poe himself knew were present in his writings. Furthermore, Poe's plot development added much of the effect of shocking madness to “The Black Cat." Imagining such an intricate plot of perversity, alcoholism, murder, fire, rebirth and punishment is quite astonishing. This story has almost all the plot elements you can imagine containing in a horror story. Who could have imagined, at the beginning of the story, that the narrator had killed his wife? incredibly mad self! Furthermore, the words of “The Black Cat” were chosen precisely to contribute to the effect of Poe's shocking madness. As the narrator writes them, he creates a beautifully morbid picture of the plot often dark, his words create just the atmosphere he wanted in the story.