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Guilt and Moral Decay
Poe depicts the issue of guilt and moral decay through the narrator’s transformation from a caring and sensitive person to a harsh and remorseless individual. The narrator’s treatment of Pluto, the black cat, is a metaphor for his moral degeneration. Initially, he cherishes the cat, but as he gives in to drinking and becomes increasingly cruel, he inflicts pain on it, eventually resulting in its horrible murder. The narrator reflects on his deeds, adding, “I blush, I burn, I shudder, while I pen the damnable atrocity.” This phrase conveys the narrator’s fleeting guilt following the horrible crime.
Remorse
The narrator’s remorse is transitory. Although he feels guilty for a short time after his violent activities, these feelings fade as his moral decay worsens. His spiral into madness and alcoholism outweighs any genuine remorse. When he murders his wife in a fit of wrath, he shows no genuine regret. The narrator describes the incident detachedly, focusing more on hiding the murder than on genuine grief for the crime. This lack of genuine remorse emphasizes the narrator’s deep moral decay. While the narrator first feels remorse, these feelings are fleeting and overshadowed by his descent into madness, moral decay, and the advancement of his cruel activities, all of which lead to a permanent tragedy.