The Black Cat and The Pit and the Pendulum: Edgar Allan Poe’s Tales of Terror
The Black Cat
This chilling tale follows an unnamed narrator who, driven by alcoholism, descends into a spiral of cruelty and violence. His once beloved black cat, Pluto, becomes the target of his rage, culminating in a horrific act of mutilation. The narrator’s guilt and paranoia escalate, leading to a series of events that culminate in a terrifying and symbolic fire that destroys his home. The story explores themes of guilt, retribution, and the destructive power of unchecked rage.
The story takes place during the Spanish Inquisition. At the beginning of the story, an unnamed narrator is brought to trial before various sinister judges. Poe provides no explanation of why he is there or for what he has been arrested. Before him are seven tall white candles on a table, and, as they melt, his hopes of survival also diminish. He is condemned to death and finds himself in a pitch black compartment. At first, the prisoner thinks that he is locked in a tomb, but he discovers that he is in a cell. He decides to explore the cell by placing a hem from his robe against a wall so he can count the paces around the room; however, he faints before being able to measure the whole perimeter.
The Pit and the Pendulum
This story plunges the reader into the depths of a dark and claustrophobic prison cell. The narrator, condemned to death by the Inquisition, faces a terrifying ordeal as a giant pendulum slowly swings towards him, threatening to cleave him in two. The story is a masterclass in suspense, building tension with every tick of the clock and every creak of the pendulum. The narrator’s desperate struggle for survival is both harrowing and suspenseful, culminating in a dramatic and unexpected rescue.
When the prisoner awakens, he discovers food and water nearby. He gets back up and tries to measure the prison again, finding that the perimeter measures one hundred steps. While crossing the room, he slips on the hem of his robe. He discovers that if he had not tripped, he would have walked into a deep pit with water at the bottom in the center of the cell.
After losing consciousness again, the narrator discovers that the prison is slightly illuminated and that he is bound to a wooden board by ropes. He looks up in horror to see a painted picture of Father Time on the ceiling; hanging from the figure is a gigantic scythe-like pendulum swinging slowly back and forth. The pendulum is inexorably sliding downwards and will eventually kill him. However, the condemned man is able to attract rats to his bonds with meat left for him to eat, and they start chewing through the ropes. As the pendulum reaches a point inches above his heart, the prisoner breaks free of the ropes and watches as the pendulum is drawn back to the ceiling.
He then sees that the walls have become red-hot and begun moving inwards, driving him into the center of the room and towards the brink of the pit. As he gazes into the pit, he decides that no fate could be worse than falling into it. It is implied by the text that the narrator fears what he sees at the bottom of the pit, or perhaps is frightened by its depth. The exact cause of his fear is not clearly stated. However, as the narrator moves back from the pit, he sees that the red-hot walls are leaving him with no foothold. As the prisoner begins to fall into the pit, he hears human voices. The walls rush back, and an arm catches him. The French army has taken Toledo, and the Inquisition is in the hands of its enemies.