What Is The Theme Of Alcohol Abuse In The Black Cat By Edgar Allan Poe

Another very present theme in Edgar Allan Poe’s life and in his writing is alcohol abuse. There are several examples of this throughout Poe’s writing but it is especially evident in The Black Cat and The Cask of Amontillado. In the Black Cat the narrator is a very severe alcoholic and this factor drives the whole story. The fact that he is so often drunk in the story causes him to mistreat his wife and beloved animals. The narrator says he; “Sat, half stupified, in a den more than infamy” which shows us that his drinking was a major problem. In addition to the Black Cat, the Cask of Amontillado shows the theme of alcohol abuse very clearly. In this story a man named Montresor takes his drunken enemy, Fortunato down into the catacombs to show