Question

Refer to Explorations in Literature for a complete version of this narrative.

Which statement best describes the narrator's reliability in "The Black Cat"?


The narrator is unreliable because he claims he is telling the story factually.

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The narrator is unreliable because his emotions about the cat run from attentive and loving to cruel and violent.

The narrator is reliable because he willingly relates details of his breakdown into insanity.

The narrator is reliable because he attributes his horrific actions to his alcoholism and to his hatred of the cat.

Answer 1

The narrator in "The Black Cat" is unreliable due to extreme emotional fluctuations and cruel behavior, which shows instability and suggests a distorted perspective.

Step-by-step explanation:

The statement that best describes the narrator's reliability in "The Black Cat" is that the narrator is unreliable because his emotions toward the cat change from attentive and loving to cruel and violent. This extreme fluctuation in behavior and the resulting actions suggest that the narrator is not to be trusted as his perspective is not stable or consistent. The unreliable narrator often exhibits morally questionable behavior, suffers from mental instability, and may misinterpret reality, which affects their narrative and how they portray events to the reader. In the case of "The Black Cat," the narrator's confessions of cruelty and violence, alongside the blame attributed to alcoholism and an obsessive disdain for the cat, further reflect his unreliability.

Answer 2

The narrator is unreliable because his emotions about the cat run from attentive and loving to cruel and violent.