Short Story Socratic Questions - "The Black Cat"

Closed-Ended Question
How was Pluto killed?

Pluto was hanged.

Open-Ended Question
Why does the narrator kill his cat Pluto?

Pluto is killed because the man is a drunkard, which causes people to do horrible things. He first cut the cat's eye out. The cat was sane enough to want to stay away from the man, but it's behavior of running caused the man to become irritated. "...hung it because I knew that it had loved me, and because I felt it had given me no reason of offence;—hung it because I knew that in so doing I was committing a sin..."(Poe 6). Also, the man committed the killing BECAUSE he knew it was wrong.

World Connection Question
What negative situations are still seen in our lives today that were mentioned in the story?

While most people don't accuse their pets of being witches, hang their pets, or stuff their wives in an alcove of a basement, there are still things touched in the story that are still relevant to today. The narrator was a drunk. He also abused his wife and his pets. Domestic violence, substance abuse and animal cruelty are still a big part of society today.

Universal Theme/ Core Question
Are there really people in the world who do bad things just for the sake of doing them because of the fact they know it's bad?

Yes, there are people in the world that commit wrongdoings because they know it's wrong. Examples of this would be sadists and teens who do something wrong purposefully to get back at their parents.

Literary Analysis Question
How does the background of the black cats add to the madness of the story?

Black cats, as pointed out in the story, were thought to be the disguise of witches. After killing Pluto another cat comes forth with the markings of a noose about it's neck. So, were there two black cat's or one? The more common answer is one. That means that the first had come back to life reincarnated to taunt his master and drive him insane. The 'reincarnation' is then takes on the form of a demon-like creature and is found upon the corpse of the man's wife. "Upon its head, with red extended mouth and solitary eye of fire, sat the hideous beast whose craft had seduced me into murder, and whose informing voice had consigned me to the hangman"(Poe 14). The being had taunted him to his doom. The cat's presence adds a supernatural element to the story, overall darkening it as a whole.