In Edgar Allan Poe's story “The Black Cat” the reader is taken on a journey in which he is told about the gruesome actions of a disturbed narrator . The subjective actions of the narrators are stimulated by a strong alcohol addiction and deteriorating mental state. The narrator tells the reader about his actions, which ultimately lead to his death, starting with killing Pluto. Pluto was the pet cat of the narrator and his wife. He was well cared for and adored, but one night, after returning home "very drunk", the narrator carved out the eyes of one of the poor animals after upsetting him. After that event an unpleasant mood comes over the narrator and he decides to hang the animal using a noose and attach it to the branch of a tree. A series of evil deeds follows the hanging, including the attempt to kill a new cat that bore a striking resemblance to Pluto and the inevitable murder of the narrator's wife at his hands when she tried to stop the attack on the animal, which follows the hanging. act of being inserted into the walls of the family cellar. At the end of the story, however, the narrator's stupidity and glee at his wife's murder is what leads to his ultimate downfall in the form of capture by the authorities. While at first the narrator's motivation for killing living beings in cold blood appears to be alcohol, there is also a deeper psychological reason behind his behavior. The narrator feels no guilt for his actions and portrays a cold, methodical human being with no conscience or sense of morality. In all aspects the narrator does not appear to be unconscious at the beginning of the story, he even goes so far as to portray himself as a caring and loving individual who is a passionate animal lover. “From...... middle of paper......k Cat. The narrator with his degraded morals could only function as a killing machine. He became a being with a one-track mind, his mind filled with thoughts of killing and not being found, the true feelings of being alive eluded him. Once a logical system of cause and effect replaces a man's consciousness, these true human feelings of love, friendship, and even true happiness are abandoned forever. Not to mention that when you get down to the narrator, these feelings become skeletons of their former meaning, leaving behind a person with an emotionless, calculating mind, which with the right ingredients can become a lethal combination. In conclusion, the Black Cat's narrator portrays a case of ultimate descent into madness and a man who has failed to deal with his guilt, turning into a victim but, ultimately, a victim who denies his actions..