Answer

The Black Cat as an Instrument of Justice

The most fundamental definition of evil or criminality is knowing the good that ought to be done and willingly choosing to do the contrary. The actions of the maker of this choice are peculiarly aimed at inflicting injury upon others. The perpetrator follows his or her own whims without giving much thought to the precipitant loss of others. The story of “The Black Cat” is a classic tale of a man who knew the good he ought to do (as evidenced by his prior actions) and yet he chose to do the contrary. It is, therefore, apparent that there was a need to bring him to book for his evils. This paper illustrates the fact that the black cat plays a significant role in bringing about justice.

The black cat plays a significant role in bringing about justice. It is important to note that during the contextual time when this narration was written, jurisprudence on animal rights and domestic violence had not been developed. For instance, mistreating and subsequently killing animals was not considered a punishable offense. However, although such an offense was not recognized in the mainstream legal system, it is undeniable that it falls under natural law. Humankind is by nature charged with the responsibility of taking care of animals that are under their care. The narrator was aware of this responsibility and when his whims allowed it, he indeed took care of the black cat and the other animals (Poe, 2003). He later traversed the direction of inflicting harm upon the animals as well as his wife. He gouged out Pluto’s eye and eventually killed the cat (Poe, 2003). Later, paradoxically, the couple chose to acquire another cat that starkly resembled Pluto. When the narrator eventually killed his wife and carefully concealed his crime, the cat led the detectives to the place where the victim’s body had been hidden (Poe, 2003). He was eventually hanged for the act of killing his own wife. In an indirect way and by means of punishment for a crime that was legally recognized during that particular contextual time, justice was served for the brutality matted on the black cat and the subsequent hanging. The perpetrator of the brutality was indeed hanged.

The black cat plays a significant role in bringing about justice. One of the ends of justice is deterrence; making sure that a criminal does not inflict harm on others in a perpetual manner. The narrator indicates that after he had gouged out the black cat’s eye, he experienced some feelings of horror and remorse for the crime he had committed (Poe, 2003). This, however, did not stop him from moving to the next step of killing his cat. After this act, he went through so much anguish and bore so much guilt, but these too did not stop him from killing his wife and covering up the crime. Essentially, he was slowly graduating from one extreme to another. Justice truly needed to be served so as to deter him from continuing with his crime. Through the execution of the perpetrator, deterrence was achieved.

The black cat plays a significant role in bringing about justice. The narrator knew the good he ought to do but he chose to do the contrary. By leading the detectives to the spot where the body of the narrator’s wife had been hidden, he significantly played a part in ensuring the administration of justice.