The fire
functions on at least two levels of symbolism in the story. First, it's arguably a punishment
directed against the narrator by God, fate, or any supernatural avenging force, for his abuse
and murder of Pluto. Though in general Poe's tales seem to take place in a random and irrational
universe, there is at least an implied form of moral justice that emerges at crucial points
within his narratives. In "," the message that comes through is the obvious and
time-honored one that crime doesn't pay. Not only are the man's wealth and property destroyed,
but the gigantic image of the cat that appears on the wall is a warning to him that a
supernatural avenger is present that will destroy him personally as well.
Poe also uses the fire as a mechanism to reveal more and more of the narrator's aberrant mental
state. The man's rationale for the huge image of the cat is a convoluted exercise in denial
and...
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