Final answer:
In the story "The Black Cat," the Dark Romantic motif that is most developed is Gas and dust (option C). The motif of gas and dust symbolizes the oppressive and suffocating atmosphere in the story and contributes to the narrator's descent into madness.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the story "The Black Cat," the Dark Romantic motif that is most developed is C. Gas and dust.
The story explores the theme of psychological horror and the descent into madness. The narrator's obsession with his pet cat and his eventual violent actions are driven by a sense of guilt and the presence of evil, which is symbolized by the black cat. The motif of gas and dust is prevalent throughout the story, representing the oppressive and suffocating atmosphere that surrounds the narrator and contributes to his sinister actions.
For example, the narrator describes the scene of his violent act as being filled with "darkness, pitchy darkness," which evokes a sense of confinement and suffocation. Additionally, the use of gas and dust imagery is seen when the narrator hides his wife's body behind a wall, stating that "the plastering had fallen and lay in heaps...forming the figure of a gigantic cat" (Poe 4). This further emphasizes the motif of gas and dust, as well as the narrator's deteriorating mental state.
Hence, the answer is option C.