Macavity, the Mystery Cat (By T.S. Eliot)

Macavity, the Mystery Cat

(By T.S. Eliot) For class VII 

Stanza 1.

“Macavity’s a mystery Cat:…………not there.”

The poet describes a mysterious cat in this poem. It stands for ‘the Hidden Paw’, a symbol of crimes and cruelties, that is, Napoleon.

Here, in the poem, the cat is a mysterious figure. Even the famous detective agencies like Scotland Yard and the Flying Squad (group of police officers in England) are not able to find it out. He is the master criminal who defies any law. He is the cause of the bafflement to the detective agencies like Scotland Yard and Flying Squad. He is too clever to be caught by anyone. When they reach the place of crime, the mysterious cat is not there.

Word-meanings: 1. Despair: hopelessness

Stanza 2

“Macavity, Macavity, there’s no one…………..not there.”

No one is like Macavity. He has broken every human law. He even breaks the law of gravity. He has the power to rise or float in the air. I makes even a magician stare at his flight in the air You may search for him in the basement. You may look for him in the sky. But after doing crime, he is found nowhere.

Stanza 3

“Macavity’s a ginger cat……..”

Then the poet, T.S. Eliot, proceeds to describe the cat by telling us that he is brown in colour, very tall and thin in body. His eyes are sunken and eyebrows are deeply lined with thought because he is always in deep thoughts or making planning to wreak his atrocities anywhere.  His head is dome-like round in shape. His coat is dusty (means its furs) are dusty and his whiskers (long stiff hair grown near the mouth) are tangled (not combed) because he has no time to come out of his evil thoughts to think about good things. While moving like a snake, he sways (moves) his head from side to side as if in search of some prey. He is so alert that in sleep also he is found awake.

Stanza 4

“Macavity,  Macavity, there’s no one like Macavity…….”

In the fourth satanza, the poet says that there is no one like Macavity in his devilishness. He is a fiend (फींड cruel and unpleasant) in the guise of a cat. He is a monster of wickedness. He may be seen in a by-street or  in a square (plaza, open place). But when people come to know about a crime there, he is found nowhere.

Stanza Five

“He is outwardly respectable………”

The poets tells us about his more crimes in this stanza. He says that Macavity is a hypocrite , very clever and cunning being because his outward impression is respectable. No trace of his previous criminal record is found in the files of the detective agency like Scotland Yard. Several activities of loot are usually committed , for example, disappearance of  eatables and milk from the cupboards,  jewellery thefts at the gun-point, strangulation (killing by pressing the throat) of  a small Chinese dog (Pekinese), breaking of the greenhouse glass and trellis. But it is surprising that Macavity leaves no evidences of crime behind him.

Stanza Six

“And when the Foreign…….”

In this stanza also, the poet continues describing Macavity’s crimes. When a file of Treaty from the foreign office is found missing, or the Admiralty ( In the past in Britain: the naval office) has lost some plans and drawings, or a scrap of paper is found in the hall or on the stair, there is no use investigating the matter because Macavity would not be found responsible for those crimes. The Secret Service might say that it is done by Macavity, but that is of no use. He will be half a mile away from the place of crime and may be relaxing or licking his thumbs or may be busy in solving the complicated (difficult) sums of division.

Stanza Seven:

In the last stanza, the poet says that there had never been such a deceitful and tactful cat in the past. He is always ready to use an alibi (excuse) or more, but he is not present at time of the crime. Then the poet mentions about other cats like Mungojerrie and Griddlebone, whose wicked deeds were also known to people. But those were also the agents of Macavity who controlled their actions. He is really the Napoleon of Crime.