Read this excerpt from “the black cat” by edgar allan poe. one night, returning home, much intoxicated, from one of my haunts about town, i fancied that the cat avoided my presence. i seized him; when, in his fright at my violence, he inflicted a slight wound upon my hand with his teeth. how does the first-person point of view affect the meaning of the text? readers learn about the narrator's excuse for his behavior. readers learn the narrator's own analysis and explanation for his treatment of his wife. readers gain insight into why the cat avoids the narrator. readers get an inside perspective on how the narrator feels when the cat ignores him.