MACAVITY THE MYSTRY CAT {notes}
The author of this playful poem is T.S. Eliot who seems to be fond of
cats. This poem is a part of his work ‘Old Possum’s Book of Practical
Cats’. This is a poem about Macavity, a cat. The cat openly disobeys
the laws and is a criminal. The Flying Squad running after him
always fails to catch him as he is faster than them. Macavity can float
in the air without any support and is thus a special cat.
He is very thin and tall and thus easily recognizable. He is also full of
dust due to the constant ignorance of his skin. Macavity sways his
head like a snake. He is always alert though you may feel that he is
sleeping. The poet says that he is the incarnation of evil. He is a
proficient cheat. Usually, one can find him in the street or square but
when you want to punish him, you can never find him.
This poem describes the story of a mystery cat, Macavity. Macavity
is a fictional character and depicts the actions of the crooks. He is
also known as ‘Hidden Paw’. He is a notorious criminal, spy, and a
trickster and openly disobeys the laws. Macavity is a mastermind and
leaves no evidence after committing the crime. Thus, the Scotland
Yard Police is also helpless. The Flying Squad has also never
succeeded in catching him as he runs faster than them.
The poet says that Macavity is unique. He not only breaks the human
laws but also the laws of nature. He can float in the air without any
support and thus, breaks the gravitational law of nature. It is said that
the fakirs have some magical powers but even they look at him in
surprise.
Thus, he has supernatural and magical powers. Surprisingly, even
when one rushes to the crime scene, they cannot find him. He is not
in the basement i.e. under the Earth and nor is he in the air i.e. sky.
Thus, we can say that he outwits the world’s top investigation
agencies.
Macavity’s appearance is also very special. He is easily recognizable
as he is a tall and thin ginger cat. He has sunken eyes and his brows
have deep wrinkles. His brows depict that he is in deep and
continuous planning of criminal acts. Also, he never combs his
whiskers and constantly neglects his skin. Thus, he is full of dust. His
head is also highly domed. One can find him swaying his head from
side to side just like a snake. One may feel that he is in deep sleep but
he will be only dozing. Thus, he is a proficient cheat, spy, and a
trickster.
The author says that Macavity possesses a unique character. He finds
him to be the incarnation of evil. He says that one can see Macavity
anywhere easily, may it be in the street or in a square. But, whenever
you find him in order to punish him for any of his crimes, he cannot
be found anywhere
In this poem, the poet personifies a cat named Macavity. He has compared the cat with many
human-like qualities. He says that the cat disobeys the law, and the police force is unable to
catch him. He further describes Macavity as a special cat as he can float in the air and
possesses various other magical powers. The complete poem is based on describing
Macavity, a perfect mystery cat.
The poet describes the story of a cat, Macavity. He is also known as Hidden Paw. He is a
master criminal who can break the law. Even the Scotland Yard police and a flying squad of
England fail to catch him. Macavity is the mastermind and does not leave any evidence on
the crime scene. Due to this, the police never succeed in catching him.
In the second stanza, the poet says that Macavity is unique. There is no one quite like
Macavity. He breaks every human law and even the law of nature. His ability to float in the
air without any physical support makes a fakir wonder about his power. Surprisingly, when
people reach the crime scene, they cannot find him. The poet elaborates that neither can he be
found in the basement nor in the air. Macavity runs away from the crime scene extremely
fast.
In this stanza, the poet describes the physical appearance of Macavity. He says that Macavity
is a ginger cat. He is very tall and thin. His eyes are sunken, and his brows are deeply
wrinkled. His head is round like a dome. The coat of Macavity is full of dust. His hair is
uncombed. His head moves from side to side, making movements like a snake. When you
think he is half asleep, he is in fact, wide awake.
The poet says that there is no one like Macavity. He is a cruel animal in a cat’s shape. He is a
monster of dishonesty and immoral behaviour. You can meet him in the street, or you may
see him in the open ground. However, when a crime is committed, you won’t find Macavity
there.
Macavity: The Mystery Cat by T.S. Eliot is a piece of creation inspired by
the infamous criminal mastermind, Professor Moriarty from Sherlock Holmes.
The poet has represented the criminal in the form of a ginger-coloured cat,
who is very tall and thin. In his poem, the poet has represented Macavity as
the “master criminal”, “a monster of depravity”, “ the bafflement of Scotland
Yard” and “the Flying Squad’s despair”.
Macavity is the name of a ginger-colored mystery cat who is also known as
the ‘Hidden Paw’. He is called the ‘Hidden Paw’ because he does all his
work in complete secrecy. He has also been called the ‘master criminal’ who
openly refuses to obey the law. He is the reason behind the failure,
confusion and frustration of Scotland Yard and the Flying Squad because by
the time they reach the place where a crime has been committed, Macavity
has already left. He is very tall and lean. The poet says it is easy to
identify him at the first glance as he has sunken eyes. He is always
thinking. He has the domed forehead of a thinker. He does not take much
care of himself which is visible from his clothes. There is no one like
Macavity because he is exceptional and his skills are unmatched for. He
has defied all man-made laws and even some laws of nature. He has
broken the law of gravity with his jumps. Because of such powers, when the
police reach the crime scene, they are unable to find Macavity. He is a
devil in the form of a cat. The poet even calls him a “monster” of moral
corruption. One must pass by him at the by-street or in the square generally
but whenever a crime is discovered, Macavity is nowhere to be found on
the crime scene.
Macavity is the name of a mystery cat who is also known as the ‘Hidden
Paw’. He is called the ‘Hidden Paw’ because he does all his work in
complete secrecy and doesn’t leave any proof behind. He has also been
called the ‘master criminal’ who openly refuses to obey the law. He is the
reason behind the failure, confusion and frustration of Scotland Yard and the
Flying Squad because by the time they reach the place where a crime has
been committed, Macavity has already left.
The poet mentions that there is no one like Macavity because he is
exceptional and his skills are unmatched. He has defied all man-made laws
and even some laws of nature. He has broken the law of gravity with his
jumps. His jumping skills would even shock a fakir (known for their powers)
and would make the fakir stare in astonishment, because of such powers,
when the police reach the crime scene, they are unable to find Macavity.
They may look for him in the basement or even in the air, but they cannot
catch a single sight of Macavity
Macavity is a ginger-colored cat. He is very tall and lean. The poet says it
is easy to identify him at the first glance as he has sunken eyes. He is
always thinking, which is evident from his brow. He has the domed forehead
of a thinker. He does not take much care of himself which is visible from
his clothes. His coat is unclean because of lack of care and his whiskers
are unkempt. He is always seen moving his head just like how a snake
moves. The poet mentions that when one must think he is almost asleep,
he is actually wide awake instead.
Macavity is exceptional and his skills are unmatched for. He is a devil in
the form of a cat. The poet even calls him a “monster” of moral corruption.
One must pass by him at the by-street or in the square generally but
whenever a crime is discovered, Macavity is nowhere to be found on the
crime scene.
1. Personification- the attribution of a personal nature or human
characteristics to something non-human, or the representation of an abstract
quality in human form.
In the poem, Macavity is personified
2. Anaphora- the repetition of a word or phrase
“Macavity Macavity”, “Macavity’s not there”
3. Alliteration- the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning
of adjacent or closely connected words
“Macavity’s mystery”, “head is highly ” and “side to side”
4. Symbolism- the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities
Eg- his appearance symbolises his villain-like character
