The Cat Who Went to Heaven | Literary Qualities

The Cat Who Went to Heaven Literary Qualities

Coatsworth's book has the effect of an Oriental drawing, one of the delicately drawn prints now popular in the West.

Certainly her skill as a "nature poet" contributes to the gentle, finely detailed mood of the book. She draws upon her knowledge of Japanese legend so that the fables become a vital tapestry against which she sets the Buddhist point of view. The fables attribute human characteristics to the animals (anthropomorphism) and transform the book into an allegory.

An unusual part of the structure— which, like many Eastern art forms, is tightly organized and disciplined—is the regular appearance of haiku-like poems written by the housekeeper. They are simple in form and offer an objective perspective of the artist and the cat.

These verses create a dramatic atmosphere, not unlike that which the chorus provides in Greek tragedy.