Why was the narrator caught by the police in "The Black Cat"?
The fact that the narrator gets caught is an example of his distorted view of reality. From the opening line the narrator tells the reader that he has a "wild" story to tell, but that it is completely true. He proceeds to tell the story of a cat who haunts him even after the cat is killed, so in his mind it's a ghost story. However, the story is somewhat ambiguous because the narrator admits that he began drinking heavily, and so one might reach the conclusion that the alcohol has affected his view of reality. Towards the end of the story the narrator is walking down the steps of the basement and the cat runs between his legs. This angers the narrator, and he picks up an axe to kill the cat (for the second time!) but is stopped by his wife. In his anger, he kills his wife with the axe and buries her in the wall. The cat disappears after the narrator nearly killed him, and he believes the cat was too scared to come back. The police come to investigate the wife's disappearance, and the narrator is so pleased with how well he hid his wife that he even takes the police to the basement. In an arrogant gesture, the narrator bangs on the wall to show the police how strong and well-built the house is. Once he does this, he hears a loud wail from within the wall. As it turned out, the narrator accidentally buried the cat inside the wall when he was sealing his wife in the wall. In the end, his distorted view of reality and his overconfidence is the reason why he is caught.
What crime did the narrator commit in "The Black Cat" and how was it discovered?
I think saying that the narrator committed more than one crime is more appropriate. If a country doesn't have a legal law about torturing animals and abusing a spouse, then those are still moral crimes. With that said, I do believe that the question is asking about the narrator’s final crime and cover-up. While walking downstairs, the narrator is tripped up by his replacement cat. Enraged, he tries to kill the cat with an ax. His wife stops him from doing that. Unfortunately, his anger turns to her, and the narrator kills his wife. He then decides to hide her body in the cellar wall.
But this blow was arrested by the hand of my wife. Goaded by the interference into a rage more than demoniacal, I withdrew my arm from her grasp and buried the axe in her brain. She fell dead upon the spot without a groan.
Unbeknownst to the narrator, the cat gets walled up too. Four days later, the police come and search the home, but they find nothing. As they are making to leave, the narrator taps on the wall and comments about how sturdy the construction is. The noise causes the cat to begin wailing in response. The police tear apart the wall, discover the cat and the wife's body, and arrest the narrator.
Upon its head, with red extended mouth and solitary eye of fire, sat the hideous beast whose craft had seduced me into murder, and whose informing voice had consigned me to the hangman. I had walled the monster up within the tomb.
How is the narrator caught by the police in "The Black Cat"?
Days after he murders his wife with an ax and then hides her body in the cellar walls, several policemen visit the narrator. They come into the house to observe the premises. Not wanting to arouse suspicion, the narrator plays along. He accompanies the police as they go through his house and boasts to the reader that he was calm the entire time, his heart beating as steadily "as that of one who slumbers in innocence." After what they presume to be a thorough search, the police make ready to vacate the house. Then, the narrator makes his fatal blunder.
The narrator is as arrogant as he is remorseless. He tells the police that the walls of the house are incredibly secure and then taps the wall with his cane for good measure—at the exact location wherein his wife's corpse has been hidden. A great cry emits from behind the surface, arousing the terrified attention of the policemen. They break down the wall, revealing the black cat sitting atop the wife's rotting body. Whether the cat somehow got into the wall without the narrator knowing or has appeared there supernaturally, the narrator's arrogance becomes his undoing, and this leads to his apprehension by the police.
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