A_comparison_of_themes_revised_final

WONG1ClementWongAnnieHuiRCS0031(78)24October2011Acomparisonofthemesbetween“TheTell-TaleHeart”and“TheBlackCat”Themesrefertotheideasandmeaningsthattheplotconveys.Inotherwords,theyaretherevelationofthehumanexperience.EdgarAllanPoeisfamousforhisworkonGothicLiterature.Twoofhisstories,namely“TheTell-Taleheart”and“TheCat”arethemosthorriblestorieswritteninthisstyle,whichsharethesameelementsofmurderandinsanity.Thethemesofthestoryaresimilar,inwhichtheyincludethedarksideofhuman,powerofthedeadandinsanity.Thesetwostoriesaresetinadarkdungeon,whichissymbolicfortheevilpresentinhumanbeings.AccordingtoJungianpsychology,“theshadowor“shadowaspect”isapartoftheunconsciousmindwhichconsistsoftherepressedweaknesses,shortcomings,andinstinctsofthehumanbeings(qtd.inJung131).“Everyonecarriesashadow”,Jungwrote,“andthelessitisembodiedintheindividual'sconsciouslife,theblackeranddenseritis”(qtd.inJung131).Thereforehecultivatesadarksideofhumanintwostories.ThenarratorsinbothstoriesWONG2possessthedarksideintheirminds,whichleadthemtodotheevilthingsthatharmothers’lives.In“TheTell-TaleHeart”,thenarratorkillsanoldmanbecausetheoldmanunnerveshim.Henotesthathismurderisnotentirelyunprovokedbytheoldmanwhohashideouseye.Inparagraphtwo,narratorsaysthat“theobjecttherewasnone.Passiontherewasnone.Ilovedtheoldman.Hehadneverwrongedme”.Ashesays,hedoesnotkilltheoldmaninordertogainthefortunepossessedbyhim.Hedoesnothatetheoldman.Hemurderstheoldmanbecauseofthedarkside.Itisoutofimpulsionthathekillstheoldman,Theeyebringsoutthedarksideofthenarrator.Suchasmall,insignificanteyeisenoughtocausemurder.Thisshowsthatthenarratormindisquitedarkandnegative.Humanbeingshavetheabilitytoseeevilthingsinsomethingnatural.Thisshowsthatthenarratorisindeedevil.Similarly,in“TheBlackcat”,thenarratorkillshiscatpurelyoutofhisimpulsiveyearn.Onehasaperverse,wickedsidethatmakesonevulnerabletoevil.Thenarratorsaysitistheinnerdemonthatbringsabouthisdownfall.Inparagrapheight,thenarratorsays“Whohasnot,ahundredtimes,foundhimselfcommittingavileorasillyaction,fornootherreasonthanbecauseheknowsheshouldnot?Havewenotaperpetualinclination,intheteethofourbestjudgment,toviolatethatwhichisLaw,merelybecauseweunderstandittobesuch?Thisspiritofperverseness,Isay,cametomyfinaloverthrow.Itwasthisunfathomablelongingofthesoultovexitself--toofferviolencetoitsownnature--todowrongforthewrong'ssakeWONG3only--thaturgedmetocontinueandfinallytoconsummatetheinjuryIhadinflictedupontheunoffendingbrute”.Thisrevealsthenarrator’smurderofhiscatisduetothedarksideofhismind.Inthesestories,deathisalwaysaroundthecorner.Itisrevealedinthestoriesthatdeathcanbeassuddenasthebirthofahumanlife.Deathcanoccurspontaneousandlifeistransientandfragile.In“TheTell-TaleHeart”,theoldmandiessuddenly.Hedoesnotunderstandwhyhedies.Evencouldn’tthinkhewhythenarratorkilledhim.Theoldmandiesinsilence.Thenarratorrushesintotheroomandshouts.Aftertheoldmanshrieks,thenarratorquicklythrustshimtothefloorandhitshimwiththebed.Theheartcontinuestobeat,butinasoftway.Afteramoment,theheartstopsbeating.Thenarratorcheckshispulsetoseeifheisdead.Again,“TheBlackCat”revealsmorescenesofsuddenandunpredictabledeath.Thenarratorlovestheintelligentblacksomuch.However,thecatdiesinafire.Accordingtothestory,thenarratorputsanoosearounditsneckandtiestheropetothelimbofatreetoexecuteit.Hehastearsinhiseyeswhenhedoesthedeed,forheknowsthatthecatlovesandtrustshim.Thatnight,heisawakenedbythecryof“Fire!”.He,hiswife,andhisservantescapes,butthefiredestroyshishouseandallhispossessions.Still,deathcanbeanobjectlikehishouseandallhispossessions.Itcandisappearsuddenly.Moreover,theyearnoftheevildoerstoescapefromtheevildeedsisrevealedinthestories.Therealityisthatnothingcanbekeptunderwraps.BeingblindtorealityisonlyanWONG4illusionthatonecanescapefromone’sevildeed.Inthesestories,twonarratorsdemonstratethisideaofescapism.AccordingtotheCollinsEnglishDictionary,escapismmeans“aninclinationtoorhabitofretreatingfromunpleasantorunacceptablereality,asthroughdiversionorfantasy”In“TheTell-TaleHeart”,afterthenarratorkillstheoldman,hemovestothebedaside,andtakesupthreefloorboards,securestheoldmanbetweenthejoists,andreplacestheboards.Whenhefinishesalltheseacts,hefeelscomfortablebecausehethinksthatnobodywilldiscoverhisevildeed.Inaddition,“TheBlackCat”alsodepictsthesamescenario.First,thenarrator’sdispositionchangeswhenhebeginstodrinkheavily.Hebecomesmoodyandshoutsathiswife,andevenstrikesherattimes.Onemayusethealcoholtohypnotizeoneselftoescapefromthetrouble.Second,thenarratorandhiswifegointothecellaronahouseholderrandandthecatfollowsthem.Inrage,thenarratorraisesanaxetoattackthecat,buthiswifestopshimbytakingawaytheaxefromhim.Infernalfurytakesholdofhimashe“buriedtheaxeinherbrain”,hekillshiswife.Afterconsideringvariouswaysofdisposingofherbody,hedecidestohideitbehindabrickwall.First,heremovesthebricks.Next,hestandsthebodyinthenicheandreplacesthebricks,usingmortartosecuretheminplace.Hewantstohidehisrascality,whichshowshisyearntoescapefromhiscrime.Thestoriesrevealthedarksideofthehumanbeingsbyportrayingacreepyandsinisteratmosphereinwhi