AbbieWollheim

Core4
102716
Quarter1Essay
Perceptionandrealityarefoundmanyplacesaroundtheworld.EdgarAllanPoe
wrotemanystoriesthatshowthenarrator'sperceptionvs.reality.Onestorythatshowed
thiswasTheBlackCatandtheotherwasTellTaleHeart.TheBlackCatisabouta
manwhokilledbothhiswifeandbothofhiscats.TelltaleHeartisaboutamanwhokilled
amanbecausehedidntlikethelookofhiseyewhenheslept.Althoughbothstoriesshow
perceptionvs.reality,thenarratorofTheBlackCatisfartherfromrealitythanthenarrator
inTelltaleHeart
ThenarratorinTheBlackCat,cuttheeyeofhiscatout,andthenkilledhim
becausehecouldnotstandtolookathimbecauseofwhathehaddone.Inthestoryhe
said,Ikilledhim,evenasmyeyeswererunningwithtears,becauseIcouldnotstandthe
sightofthisanimal(page171).Thisisshowingthathedidsomethingbadenoughasto
cutthecatseyeout,butthenjusttomakeitworse,hekilledthecatbecauseheknewwhat
hedidwassowrong.Notonlywasitwrongtocutouttheeye,buttothenkillhimbecause
hedidntlikehiseyewasagainwrong,andworsethanjustcuttingouthiseye.Thisshows
howthenarratorwasveryfarofffromreality.
Afterthemankilledhisfirstcat,hisapartmentwasburneddownsohimandhis
spousemovedtoanewtownandgotanewcatwhoremindedhimalotofhisoldcat.The
manwasfrustratedandbotheredbythefactthatthecatwasverysimilartohisoldcat,so

heattemptedtokillhisnewcat.Thetextsays,Pickingupanaxethatwasnearthepileof
firewood,Iswungitovermyheadtostrikethecursedanimalafatalblow.(page173).
Thisquoteagainshowshowcrazythemanwas.Hegotanothercattoremindhimofhis
firstcat,butthenthoughtitwastoosimilarsoheattemptedtokillthecat.
OtherpeoplemightthinkthatthenarratorinTellTaleHeartisfurtherofffromreality
thatthenarratorinTheBlackCat.PeoplecouldthinkthisbecausethemaninTellTale
Heartthoughtthatheheartaheartbeateventhoughtherewasnotone.Thestorysays,I
foundthatthenoisewasnotwithinmyears.(page238).Thisquoteisshowingthathe
heardsomethingthatwasnotthere,thatitwasactuallyinhisears,whichiswhyitwasnot
thatfarofffromthereality,becauseallhedidwasimagineanoisethatwasonlyinhis
head.Heimaginedthesoundofaheartbeatalthoughtherewasntonethere,whichmakes
themannotasfarofffromrealityinthenarratorofTheBlackCat.
ThethirdreasonthenarratorinTheBlackCatwasthefarthestfromrealitywas
becauseafterheattemptedtokillhiscat,hiswifetooktheaxeawaysohekilledher.Inthe
story,thenarratorsaysIsmashedtheaxeintoherskullandshefelldead(page173).This
isshowingthathesmashedhiswifewithanaxewithoutthinking,andjustkilledher.He
wasplanningonkillingthecatandbecausehewassoupsetthathecouldnt,hekilledhis
wife.Thisshowshowirrationalthemanwas.
Perceptionvs.realityisacommontrendinEdgarAllanPoeswriting.Thenarrator
inTheBlackCatisfurtherofffromrealitythanthenarratorinTellTaleHeart.Perception
vs.realitycanshownotonlytruth,butthesanityofapersonasshowninTheBlackCat
andTellTaleHeart.