— Overview
The notes follow the confession through the fire, and they stop before a later recap of the wall and the discovery.
— Contents and key concepts
A confession, and a cat called a friend
Having read The Black Cat, the notes first set out the plot. The short story proceeds in the form of a confession: the narrator looks back on what he himself has done. From childhood he had been gentle and very fond of animals. Among them he especially cherished the black cat Pluto, brought home by the wife he loved, and he called Pluto a friend; Pluto, for his part, followed him closely.
Drink, and a turn to violence
But once the narrator began to drink too much, that gentle character changed. Day by day he grew sullen, flew into anger for no reason, and took no account of anyone else’s place, until the change went as far as violence without hesitation. Because of that change, Pluto began to avoid him. Though he had not especially tormented the cat, he felt rage at being avoided, and one night, coming in very drunk, he let a cruel violence out. He felt as if Pluto were avoiding his eyes, and in an instant he seized the cat. Pluto, to protect himself, scratched him; enraged, the narrator gouged out Pluto’s eye and hanged him by the neck.
A house lost to fire
After the killing of the cat, the narrator’s house is lost in a fire. The notes leave the confession at that fire, before a later recap that goes on to a shape on a wall and to the crime’s discovery. The same Korean report, at fuller length, is on CampusDown.
Sources
- The notes, a student reading of Poe’s The Black Cat: a first-person confession, the cat Pluto brought by the wife, drink that turns to violence, the gouging and the hanging, and a house lost to fire.
Last updated: 15 November 2026
Frequently asked questions
How does the story, as the notes tell it, begin?
The short story The Black Cat proceeds as a confession: the narrator looks back on what he has done. He had been gentle from childhood and fond of animals. Among them he especially loved the black cat Pluto, brought home by his wife, and he called Pluto a friend; the cat followed him closely.
What change do they describe?
When he began to drink too much, his once-gentle temper changed. He grew sullen, angered without cause, and no longer considered others, until the change went as far as violence. Pluto started to avoid him. One night, very drunk, he seized the cat; Pluto scratched him in self-defense; in a rage he gouged out the cat’s eye and hanged it.
Where do they stop?
After the killing, the narrator’s house is lost to fire. The notes leave the confession at that fire. A later recap, unused here, goes on to a cat’s shape on a wall and to the crime’s discovery.
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