The Use of Gothic Elements in Poe and Hawthorne

Poe’s story, “The Black Cat,” chronicles the fall of a man from innocence into corruption. The narrator states that he was always fond of animals and had many pets. However, driven by “the instrumentality of the Fiend Intemperance,” the narrator tortures and eventually lynches his favorite black cat. The gruesome actions of the narrator incite the reader’s horror, a gothic element that shows the narrators responsibility in the death. The narrator makes sure that he distances himself from his actions by blaming the external force of alcohol for his loss of sanity and innocence. But what caused him to drink in the first place? His natural depravity, of course. He uses reasoning to show that he still possesses his humanity. However, his lack of empathy is what truly angers him. The narrator attempts to kill the second cat because it seems to be more human than he is. The world around him shows him his depravity, such as when his house burns down and his wife’s tomb in the wall howls when the police are there. These gothic elements elucidate the depravity of the narrator’s loss of empathy and innocence.

In “My Kinsman, Major Molineux,” Hawthorne tells the coming of age story of Robin, a youth from the country seeking his kinsman to help him set up a living as he moves from innocence to experience. He arrives in town when it is ominously dark, signaling that he is moving away from the light (and innocence) of the country. The people he meets also possess a duality; when Robin asks where he can find Major Molineux, the people are brisk, angry, or silent. When Robin walks away, they all laugh cheerfully at the irony that Molineux will be killed very soon by a mob. These gothic elements confirm Robin’s original naiveté. Robin initially thinks that he will simply go home after he finds out the fate of his kinsman, but decides that it serves his interests better to join the rebellious mob and become part of the “community of sin.” He begins to understand that this is how the world works; his innocence would not allow him to adapt so he leaves it behind by embracing human depravity.

Both these stories contain the paradoxical idea that innocence is innate, but there is also a natural depravity that counteracts this. The gothic elements, such as the darkness or morbidity of the people or actions, are used as signals to demonstrate that things are changing and innocence can no longer remain.