What events from "The Black Cat" seem to prove the wife's superstition about cats to be correct?

Answer 1

The narrator's wife alluded to the superstition of black cats being witches in disguise. Poe provides connections to (black) cats and witches throughout the story. First being, the name of the first cat is Pluto this ties into witches and the underworld. (Pluto is the name of the Roman god of the underworld.) The color black is associated with creatures of the night. It has been said that witches ride their broomsticks by the light of the moon.

Within the ninth paragraph, Pluto is hanged which is a strong correlation to the hanging of witches during the Salem Witch Trials. Paragraphs ten through twelve pertain to an intense fire, or conflagration, causing the narrator's entire house to burn down with the exception of a few walls. Witches have commonly been associated with fire, especially during the Salem Trials. In connection, Pluto's image is emblazoned upon one of the walls, therefore haunting the narrator as witches haunt their victims.

Additionally, paragraphs thirteen through fifteen show the addition of a second cat similar to Pluto in every way with the exception of a splotch of white. This patch of white seems to change form in a haunting manner. It begins to form the image of Pluto hanging from a branch. Superstitions have warned of witches changing forms to beguile their victims.

Within the last two paragraphs, the wife has been killed by the narrator and her body placed within the confines of a cellar wall. Upon hearing the rap of a cane, the witch-like shriek emanates from the wall. The new cat has exacted his revenge for Pluto, the wife, and himself because of the narrator's hubris.