The Black Cat Group

Question:


lindsayrana

Is the main character in "The Black Cat" mentally ill?

What type of psychological illness do you believe he suffered from?

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Posted by lindsayrana on Tuesday March 4, 2008 at 7:53 PM and tagged with crazy, mental illness, the black cat.

Answers:

  1. ashley90
    ashley90 Student

    Technically there is no showing of a psychological illness in the story. It merely shows that the narrator is an alcoholic

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    Posted by ashley90 on Wednesday March 5, 2008 at 8:24 AM


  2. linda-allen Teacher
    High School - 10th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    Best answer as selected by question asker.

    Does Poe have any happy, well-adjusted characters in his stories?

    The narrator blames what he does on the "Fiend Intemperance," or alcohol. Some have said that alcohol brings out the worst in people or that alcohol is used as a way to self-medicate. We can make a case for both options: that he's not mentally ill but just a mean drunk or that he is mentally ill and the alcoholism is masking it.

    If he is mentally ill, perhaps he has some form of psychosis or what is called a personality disorder. I've pasted a link to the Mayo Clinic's page on personality disorders below.

    There's one big clue that the narrator is insane: At the beginning of the story he says he is not insane. There's an old saying that if you say you're not crazy, you probably are.

    By the way, my black cat is doing just fine!

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/black-cat-text/
    http://www.enotes.com/black-cat/critical-discussion
    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/personality-disorders/DS...

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    Posted by linda-allen on Wednesday March 5, 2008 at 3:58 PM

  3. lesli93
    lesli93 Student
    High School - 10th Grade

    no the charecter in " The Black Cat" is not mantally ill he just has drinking and anger issues.

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    Posted by lesli93 on Thursday November 13, 2008 at 9:46 AM


  4. desireaaa Student
    High School - 10th Grade

    there is no givig evidence that the man was mentally ill, it just says that he was a raging alchoholic.

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    Posted by desireaaa on Saturday November 15, 2008 at 10:13 AM

  5. nikki210
    nikki210 Student
    High School - 10th Grade

    he suffered from drinking alot

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    Posted by nikki210 on Monday November 17, 2008 at 9:26 AM