Edgar Allen Poe’s short
stories and poetry all contain strong elements of the macabre and horrific. The
narrators face serious issues of morality, and the natural world loses the
enchanting quality found in Irving’s short stories for a darker, nightmarish
landscape. Within the gothic elements of Poe’s work, there is an echo of
Puritan ideals that seem to influence the world of his literature.
In the short story The Black Cat, Poe’s character slowly
changes to view his beloved animals in a hostile way. The narrator meditates on
the growing evil inside him, and seems to infer that these wicked tendencies
are actually parts of his true human nature becoming unearthed:
“And then came, as if to my final and irrevocable overthrow, the
spirit of PERVERSENESS. Of this spirit philosophy takes no account. Yet I am
not more sure that my soul lives, than I am that perverseness is one of the
primitive impulses of the human heart - one of the indivisible primary
faculties, or sentiments, which give direction to the character of Man. Who has
not, a hundred times, found himself committing a vile or a silly action, for no
other reason than because he knows he should not?”
The
narrator here suggests that this depravity is inherent in the nature of humans,
a sentiment at the heart of Puritanism, which believes that as a result of
original sin, all of humanity tends naturally towards the corrupt. At the
beginning of Poe’s narrative, the character demonstrates “docility and humanity”
much like Mary Rowlandson views herself and her Puritan community: “When I lived in prosperity, having the comforts
of the world about me, my relations by me, my heart cheerful.” As Poe’s narrator descends into madness, he begins to resemble
the savage Amerindians as described in Rowlandson’s captivity narrative. “The
fury of a demon instantly possessed me. I knew myself no longer. My original
soul seemed, at once, to take its flight from my body and a more than fiendish
malevolence, gin-nurtured, thrilled every fibre of my frame.” As Poe’s character
becomes demonic and reveals more of his natural depravity, he parallels the wild
natives that represented depravity incarnate to Rowlandson, who says, “They mourned (with their black faces) for their
own losses, yet triumphed and rejoiced in their inhumane, and many times
devilish cruelty to the English.”
For both Poe and Rowlandson, the human spirit features a dark
and ruthless character, which threatens to subvert the control and piousness
that the Puritan community strives towards. Rowlandson views the Amerindians
depravity as motivation to act according to God and morality,
whereas Poe’s character collapses to this wicked side through the use of
alcohol. Once he crosses into evil, his character is too weak to come out of
it, and he succumbs to violence and murder.
In my opinion, Poe's "The Black Cat" really brings to life the gothic sentiment we find in the Romantic period of American literature. Poe, along with other writers of the day, immerse their readers in the dark side of man. Images of death, human decay, and pure evil were not typically used as themes in literature, yet Poe celebrates these themes and uses them brilliantly. At this time in American history, the vices and horrors of man were not discussed openly in the public arena-- it was a disturbing and uncomfortable sentiment. However, Poe understood that violent and disturbing images and themes entertained the masses. This fact directly relates to the natural depravity of man. We all understand that nobody is perfect. Everyone has a vice, an imperfection, and a dark side just waiting to be unleashed. Poe's writing, such as "The Black Cat," releases that dark side most people are not comfortable even thinking about. That is the beauty and the genius of Poe's mind and his literary works. His stories and poems went where no one else dared to wander, which is why he is such an influential figure in American literature to this very day.
ReplyDeleteGood point, but see where the evil rests in Rowlandson's narrative--in the Indian captors and in the wilderness. In Ligeia, the Narrator takes his new bride into a world of horrors she cannot comprehend. Make the connection between the two women.
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