Poe's Short Stories
The Black Cat
The hero feeds a black cat named Pluto.
One day, under the influence of liquor, he gouges out the cat’s eye and then hangs the cat by the neck on a tree.
Feeling remorseful, he feeds another black cat that is similar to Pluto.
However, the hero shivers when he is reminded of the dead cat and tries to kill it, but kills his wife by mistake.
He hides the corpse in the wall of the basement and is sure he has gotten away with the perfect crime.
This is indicative of Poe’s early works where the black cat symbolizes horrific moods and the diseased criminal psychology.
The Purloined Letter
The famous detective, Dupin, finds himself in a case where an important letter was stolen from a royal family.
Even though the police know about the criminal and the letter, they can’t find the actual letter.
Dupin realizes that the criminal knows how to manipulate the police because he knows how the police think and behave.
He uses this information to easily solve the case.
The detective, Dupin, appears in only three of Poe’s stories, however, he has a strong influence on other writers of detective fiction.
