.." (Poe, E.A.)

This perversity in human nature causes the narrator to hang the cat - an act of unbridled cruelty and brutality which has no rational explanation except that the potential for such action lies hidden within human nature.

The rest of the story follows the pattern of retribution for the sins of the man. After the killing of Pluto the house burns down, leaving only one wall in which the cat has somehow strangely become embedded. There is no easy explanation for this event and it emphasizes the supernatural aspect of the story.

The main character returns to his drinking habits and one evening while drinking he sees a cat similar to Pluto. There are remnants of guilt and human conscience in the man and he takes the cat home with him. However, he starts to hate and fear the cat and there is a suggestion that guilt...
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