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Shazma Hamid

Professor H. Weiner

GLL 202- YH

21 May 2013

Poe’s Understanding of the Human Mind

The human mind is one of the most complex structures that God has created. It is difficult

to understand each brain process as every human being possesses his/her own distinguished

thought patterns with different levels of complexities. A person’s mind greatly influences his

behavior, which eventually transforms into his habit by becoming embedded into his character.

Today, the world of psychology tries to understand everything that a mind can create. However,

even before the field of Psychology was introduced and brought into practice, some American

writers threw a spotlight on the mechanism of the human brain in their works. On top of this list

is an American writer, Edgar Allan Poe, who seems to be keenly aware of the complexities of the

human brain and its effects on human behavior. His understanding of the human mind is marked

in his various short stories, such as “The Black Cat,” “The Cask of Amontillado,” and

“Berenice.” In these pieces of literature, Edgar Allan Poe presents protagonists who are the

victims of complex mind issues such as guilt, perversity, superstitions, revenge, reverse

psychology, schizophrenia, etc.

Poe’s short story, “The Black Cat” portrays three main psychological aspects of the

human mind that include irrationality, perversity, and guilt. From the beginning of the story, it is

clearly understood that the main character is superstitious. He recalls his wife’s words as “my

wife,…, made frequent allusion to the ancient popular notion, which regarded all black cats as
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witches in disguise” (Poe 1). The character calls his wife superstitious, but as the story proceeds,

it can be seen that he is far more superstitious himself. According to Junfeng and Haiyum, “We

become increasingly aware of his superstitious belief from the fact that he calls his cat, Pluto,

who in Greek and Roman mythology was the god of the dead and the ruler of the underworld”

(326). Moreover, the character begins to believe in the reincarnation of the black cat. Upon

seeing the second cat, he quickly brings into mind the appearance of Pluto and how both cats

resemble. Poe says, “It was a black cat- a very large one- fully as large as Pluto, and closely

resembling him in every respect but one” (3). His mind is full of these irrational beliefs that

scare him and lead him to the hatred of the second cat and the murder of his beloved wife. He

states, “…, although I longed to destroy it with a blow, I was yet withheld from doing so, partly

it at by a memory of my former crime, but chiefly-- let me confess it at once-- by absolute dread

of the beast” (4). Therefore, the superstition in the mind of the main character is his primary

reason for killing the second cat.

In addition to this, Poe, in “The Black Cat” expresses “the spirit of perverseness” through

his main character. Perverseness can be characterized as a conscious persistency in doing wrong,

even to the loved ones. This condition is always followed by guilt, which is another

psychological aspect of the story. Poe explains in a very clear way of how perverseness deepens

its roots in the human mind and becomes a part of it. For example, the main character is shown

as a very gentle and loving person who is fond of animals. What happens to him throughout the

story? If the story is not read analytically, the reader can say that his aggressiveness is due to his

consumption of alcohol; consequently, making him a violent murderer. Furthermore, if it is read

with deeper exploration, the cause of his violence comes out to be his perverseness. He, himself,

says, “this spirit of perverseness, I say, came to my final overthrow…- to offer violence to its
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own nature- to do wrong for the wrong’s sake only- that urged me to continue and finally to

consummate the injury I had inflicted upon the unoffending brute.” Poe describes perverseness

as “the primitive impulses of the human heart,…, which give direction to the character of

Man”(2). Psychologists describe impulses as a radical imbalance of behavior and an original sin

of the theologians, but Poe puts a much vivid light on it. He explains that once an idea or impulse

hits the mind of a person, he cannot resist from acting upon it. He becomes helpless and is forced

to listen to his thoughts (Junfeng 327). In doing so, a person becomes furious if he is unable to

satisfy these impulses. In such a situation, his aggressiveness can reach the maximum peak. In

the story, when the main character lifts his axe to kill the second cat, his wife stops him. As a

result, Poe writes, “Goaded, by the interference, into a rage more than demoniacal, I withdrew

my arm from her grasp and buried the axe in her brain” (4). Hence, the main character becomes

incapable of freeing his soul from the urge of doing wrong.

Furthermore, guilt is another psychological trait of the human brain that can lead

someone into becoming either an angel or a devil. In “The Black Cat,” there are many instances

where guilt can be seen to take over the main character’s personality. Unfortunately, this guilt

does not prevent him from continuing his bad deeds. The main character changes from a pleasant

person to a wild one who drinks, curses, and beats his wife and pets. Therefore, his pets start to

avoid him as he says, “I fancied that the cat avoided my presence” (Poe 2). As a result, he

becomes more irritated when he is ignored as it makes him feel the guilt of being aggressive to

the ones he loves. In his guilt, he cuts out the eye of his favorite Pluto. Also, he hangs the cat for

no rational reason, but because of the guilt he has of doing wrong. Moreover, after he brings the

second cat home, he starts to hate it because it reminds him of what he has done in his past. Poe

states, “What added, no doubt, to my hatred of the beast, was the discovery,…, that, like Pluto, it
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also had been deprived of one of its eyes” (3). Similarly, the feeling of guilt converts this hatred

into an attempt of murder of the second cat. People often try to hide their guilt from themselves

as well as from people around them. Likewise, the main character drinks even more to hide his

deeds from his own self as he states “…soon drowned in wine all memory of the deed” (Poe 2).

After murdering his wife, he tries to hide his action from the rest of the world by walling her up

in the cellar. It is in the psyche of a person that when he is sure that he will not be suspected, the

sense of guilt vanishes from his brain for some time, but comes back now and then. The

murderer in the story says, “…and thus for one night at least, since its introduction into my

house, I soundly and transguilly slept; aye, slept even with the burden of murder upon my soul!”

(Poe 5). Even more so, after walling his wife in the cellar, his guilt does not restrain him from

spilling out the truth of the murder before the cops. Poe mentions this as “In the rabid desire to

say something easily, I scarcely knew what I uttered at all” (5). Therefore, guilt is such a feature

of human mind that can come out to the surface at any moment.

Another story of Edgar Allan Poe that exhibits similar psychological issues is “The Cask

of Amontillado,” which is a complete description of revenge that arises from pride and jealousy.

Montresor, the protagonist, is so deeply drowned in the thought of taking revenge from Fortunato

that he does not even mention the exact reason behind his revenge. The concept of killing

someone only for one’s own pride and jealousy goes back to the time when the very first people

came to the earth. In her article, Renee states that when the thought of revenge develops in a

person’s brain, it drives him insane and does not allow him to give it a second thought (1). The

very first sentence of the short story, “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best

could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge,” clearly describes the whole theme of

the story as a deeply enrooted revenge in Montresor’s mind (Poe 743). Moreover, the
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motivational forces that drive revenge are pride and jealousy. Montresor is jealous of Fortunato,

thus; he proves him foolish a couple of times in the story as he says, “The man wore motley. He

had on a tight- fitting parti- striped dress and his head was surmounted by the conical cap and

bells” (744). Also, Montresor expresses superiority as he shows Fortunato a picture including a

snake being smashed by a human foot with the motto, “No one attacks me with impunity” (Poe

746). Montresor thinks that Fortunato is the snake biting the human foot because Fortunato

insults him. In addition, he considers the foot killing the snake as himself. Hence, Montresor has

a conflicting mind; he is unsure whether the revenge is for the insult of his pride or due to his

jealousy towards Fortunato.

Additionally, Poe explores the human mind and extracts the concept of reverse

psychology. Poe, at a couple of times in the story, shows how a person can gain something from

someone without even asking for it. An example of reverse psychology in “The Cask of

Amontillado” is when Montresor asks Fortunato to taste Amontillado, but at the same time says,

“…I will not impose upon you good nature. I perceive you have an engagement…” (Poe 744).

Similarly, when Fortunato coughs because of the nitre walls, Montresor uses reverse psychology

and says, “Come,… we will go back; your health is precious… We will go back; you will be ill

and I cannot be responsible. Besides, there is Luchresi -” (Poe 745). Montresor is aware of the

fact that Fortunato thinks he is the best when it comes to alcohol as Poe states, “He prided

himself upon his connoisseurship in wine,” still he uses another person’s name to urge him to

keep moving. Accordingly, Poe is well aware of this psychological characteristic of the human

mind.

Correspondingly, Poe uses the concept of perversity and guilt in “The Cask of

Amontillado.” The cause of murdering Fortunato is not only revenge, but also a stronger feeling
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that is described in “The Black Cat,” and that is perversity. There is an intense desire in

Montresor to harm Fortunato even though he has not done any harm to him. Although Montresor

claims that he has been hurt many times by Fortunato, he cannot resist calling him “respected,

admired, beloved,” admitting his “good nature,” and also calling him “noble” (Little 212). These

words prove that Fortunato is a good person and the word “injuries” used in the first sentence of

the story is merely an exaggeration that Montresor’s psyche has created. Furthermore, perversity

does not come alone, but it brings with itself a sense of guilt. Even though Montresor thinks of

himself as the representative of his family for crashing down enemies, he feels guilty while

walling up Fortunato. For instance, his guilt surfaces when unknowingly he calls Fortunato

“noble” and says that “My heart grew sink…” (Poe 748). Despite emphasizing that his heart is

sinking because of the dampness of the catacombs, it is actually the guilt that is making his heart

sink (Little 212). Hence, Poe’s grasp of perverseness and guilt of the human mind is

recognizable.

Similarly, the fact of Poe’s understanding of human brain and its complexities has been

demonstrated in his short story “Berenice.” Lori Beth Griffin claims that “Poe’s Egaeus in

“Berenice” displays every sign of schizophrenia, and therefore is a proof of Poe’s particular

insight into this realm of psychology” (13). One of the major symptoms in a person possessing

Schizophrenia is memory problems. The protagonist of “Berenice,” Egaeus, is unable to recall

several serious events in his life. After seeing the box with dentist tools and teeth, he asks

himself, “I had done a deed – what was it?” Also, he cannot remember the incident of pulling

Berenice out of her grave and taking all her teeth out. Although his body reacts to his guilt as he

says “Why then, …, did the hairs of my head erect themselves on end, and the blood of my body
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become congealed within my veins,” Egaeus does not remember what he has just done a few

hours ago (Griffin 14).

Moreover, obsession that is another sign of schizophrenia is displayed by Egaeus. He,

himself, admits that he has this disease, but refers to it as monomania. Egaeus says, “…a

pathological obsession with one idea; a fixed idea associated with paranoia.” His obsession in his

wife’s (Berenice) teeth is clear from the lines, “The teeth!– the teeth!- they were here, and there,

and everywhere, and visibly and palpably before me; long, narrow, and excessively white, with

the pale lips writhing about them” (Poe 143- 144). According to Yonjae Jung’s article, “Poe’s

Berenice,” Egaeus has always been obsessed with things throughout his childhood and teenage

years, such as spending hours staring at the floor, flame of a lamp, or fire, nonetheless; the

obsession with Berenice’s teeth is far more than these daily routines (227). It is so because this

obsession does not let him bury Berenice’s beautiful set of teeth along with her. Therefore, he

becomes unable to restrain himself from savagely pulling each tooth out of his dead wife’s

mouth.

Moreover, Egaeus also shows the symptoms of hallucination, which is another indicator

of schizophrenia. Later on in the story, the reader finds out that Berenice is not dead, but is

suffering from a brain disorder, epilepsy, that makes her appear dead for hours. Even though she

is not dead while lying in the coffin, Egaeus’ hallucination makes him think, “… the peculiar

smell of the coffin sickened me, and I fancied a deleterious odor was already exhaling from the

body” (Poe 144). Moreover, he tries to ignore his hallucination when he sees Berenice’s finger

and jaw slightly moving (Griffin 13-14). Egaeus sees everything, yet he is unable to distinguish

between reality and imagination. Even more so, Poe has shown other symptoms of schizophrenia

in his protagonist. Poe mentions in “Berenice” that Egaeus lacks power and energy. He is
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uninterested in the outside world and has isolated himself in his father’s mansion. Egaeus has no

friends and social activities, and he passes his boyhood in reading books and spending hours idly

in a corner. Also, depression that is an evident symptom of schizophrenia is endured by Egaeus

(Griffin 14-15). He describes himself as “… - I ill health and buried in gloom” (Poe 141). Hence,

Poe has created a protagonist who possesses almost all the signs of schizophrenia. He has an

outstanding idea of this psychological disorder.

To sum it up, Edgar Allan Poe is an American writer who has a thorough understanding

of the human brain’s functions. He is aware of many psychological issues that were discovered a

long time after his death. He has an amazing knowledge of guilt, superstition, revenge, reverse

psychology, schizophrenias and many other psychological matters of the human mind. In his

short stories, he clearly demonstrates how human brain works and leaves an effect on the

person’s thoughts and behaviors, shaping the whole personality of the person. Overall, Poe had a

strong grip of the functioning of the human mind even before the word psychology was

introduced.
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Works Cited

Griffin, Lori Beth. "Egaues Diagnosed." Hohonu Academic Journal (2006): 13-16. Web. 3 Apr.

2013.

Junfeng, Zhang and Liu Haiyun. "The Conflicting Mind Reflected in Edgar Allan Poe's "The

Black Cat" and D.H. Lawrence "The Horse Dealer's Daughter."" International

Conference on Educational Technology (2012): 326-329. Ieri Institute. Web. 26 Mar.

2013.

Jung, Yonjae. "Poe's BERENICE." Explicator. 68.4 (2010): 227-230. Literary Reference Center.

Web. 3 Apr. 2013.

Little, Anne C. “The Cask of Amontillado.” Short Fiction: A Critical Companion (1997):

211-217. Literary Reference Center. Web. 30 Mar. 2013.

Poe, Edgar Allan. "Berenice." Works of Edgar Allan Poe. 2. 140-145. n.p.: Project Gutenberg

Literary Archive Foundation, 2006. Literary Reference Center. Web. 3 Apr. 2013.

Poe, Edgar Allan. “The Black Cat.” United States Saturday Post– Volume 13. n.p. 19 Aug.

1843. The Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore. Web. 29 March 2013.

Poe, Edgar Allan. "The Cask of Amontillado." Baym, Nina. The Norton Anthology of American

Literature. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2003. 743-748. Print.

Renee, Kimberly. “Pride and Revenge in Edgar Allan Poe's “The Cask of Amontillado.”” Yahoo

Voices. 31 August 2010. Web. 5 April 2013.