Theme Of Justice in The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe

This was the technique one of the most infamous serial killer Elias Abuelzam used to approach his victims and ultimately murder them. “The Black Cat” is a story of an alcoholic who is driven insane by his addiction. He tortures and kills his cat, Pluto. Then, a stray cat that looks almost exactly like the cat he murdered except for a gallows mark on its chest follows him home and drives him even more insane. Individuals can commit evil actions and yet feel no remorse for what they have done just like Elias Abuelazam did stabbing 5 victims. 

The theme in “The Black Cat” is justice and truth. The narrator tries to hide the truth by walling up his wife's body but the voice of the black cat helps bring him to justice. “I quivered not in a muscle. My heart beat calmly as that of one who slumbers in innocence.” (Poe 33-34) Poe was not worried about the police finding his wife, but sickening of him killing his wife did not startle him the least, and he did not even care to fess up to his actions. “I soundly and tranquilly slept; aye, slept even with the burden of murder upon my soul!” The narrator demonstrates no emotion for what he did. Even after killing and walling up with wife, he slept with no problems, and he feels more peaceful actually. With these quotes from “The Black Cat” it proves the theme that someone can act on evil actions and feel no remorse for what they did. 

The trail of Abuelazam has a theme of justice because he gives the family of the people he killed justice by admitting to his murders. “Two psychologists who testified on behalf of the prosecution agreed that although Abuelazam has an unspecified personality disorder, and he lacked empathy” The people who studied what he did shows that he felt no emotion for what he did and felt he didn’t do anything wrong. “Abuelazam told him he committed the crimes because of “evil spirits.” In dark romanticism it takes about the ‘evil spirits’ they believe in. Abuelazam can’t take the credit for what he did that he tries to explain that ‘evil spirits' made him do it. The stabbings he acted on did not shock or bring any emotion towards Abuelazam. It was also stated by others that it was obvious he felt nothing during the performance of these actions.

During the story of “The Black Cat” and the article about Elias Abuelazam it shows that people can commit evil actions and yet feel no remorse for what they have done. Elias Abelazam accomplished 5 racial stabbings and felt no shock or any emotions for what he did. Just like in “The Black Cat” the author is an alcoholic who is driven insane by his addiction. He tortures and kills his cat, Pluto. Then, a stray cat that looks almost exactly like the cat he murdered follows him home and drives him even more insane. Serial killers affect people because they still exist in today's society. Society needs serial killers because they are like emotional lightning rods that protect people from their own violent tendencies. The socially constructed serial killer identity gives society an outlet to experience the darker side of the human condition that otherwise it cannot or will not consider.