Macavity – The Mystery Cat
Macavity’s a Mystery Cat: he’s called the Hidden Paw
For he’s the master criminal who can defy the Law.
He’s the bafflement of Scotland Yard, the Flying Squad’s despair:
For when they reach the scene of crime — Macavity’s not there!
Macavity, Macavity, there’s no one like Macavity,
He’s broken every human law, he breaks the law of gravity.
His powers of levitation would make a fakir stare,
And when you reach the scene of crime — Macavity’s not there!
You may seek him in the basement, you may look up in the air —
But I tell you once and once again, Macavity’s not there!
Macavity’s a ginger cat, he’s very tall and thin;
You would know him if you saw him, for his eyes are sunken in.
His brow is deeply lined with thought, his head is highly domed;
His coat is dusty from neglect, his whiskers are uncombed.
He sways his head from side to side, with movements like a snake;
And when you think he’s half asleep, he’s always wide awake.
Macavity, Macavity, there’s no one like Macavity,
For he’s a fiend in feline shape, a monster of depravity.
You may meet him in a by-street, you may see him in the square —
But when a crime’s discovered, then Macavity’s not there!
He’s outwardly respectable. (They say he cheats at cards.)
And his footprints are not found in any file of Scotland Yard’s.
And when the larder’s looted, or the jewel-case is rifled,
Or when the milk is missing, or another Peke’s been stifled,
Or the greenhouse glass is broken, and the trellis past repair
Ay, there’s the wonder of the thing! Macavity’s not there!
And when the Foreign Office find a Treaty’s gone astray,
Or the Admiralty lose some plans and drawings by the way,
There may be a scrap of paper in the hall or on the stair
But it’s useless to investigate, Macavity’s not there!
And when the loss has been disclosed, the Secret Service say:
‘It must have been Macavity!’ but he’s a mile away.
You’ll be sure to find him resting, or a licking of his thumbs,
Or engaged in doing complicated long division sums.
Macavity, Macavity, there’s no one like Macavity,
There never was a Cat of such deceitfulness and suavity.
He always has an alibi, and one or two to spare:
At whatever time the deed took place, MACAVITY WASN’T THERE!
And they say that all the Cats whose wicked deeds are widely known,
(I might mention Mungojerrie, I might mention Griddlebone)
Are nothing more than agents for the Cat who all the time
Just controls their operations: the Napoleon of Crime.
- T.S. Eliot
Explanation
Thomas Stearns Elliot in his poem “Macavity - The Mystery Cat” clearly portrays the villainous
character of a mysterious cat, who is
known by the name 'Hidden Paw' as he is the criminal mastermind who disregards the law. The poet says that he is an enigmatic figure to
even the specialized detective agencies of the world like the Scotland Yard and the Flying Squad, meaning that he is too clever to leave
any evidence of his guilt. These agencies had accepted their defeat by this clever cat and therefore he is considered as the 'bafflement of the
Scotland Yard.' The Scotland Yard is completely puzzled as for when the Flying Squad reaches the scene of the crime, Macavity just isn’t there.
There is never enough proof to get him caught as he is never found near the scene of the crime. Not only does he break the human law but also breaks
the law of gravity as he floats in the air without any support.
He is described by the poet as a ginger cat who is both tall and thin. His eyes seem to be deeply sunken in and his head is highly domed. His brows are deeply lined as a result of continuous planning of the crimes. Macavity moves like a snake and whenever he is mistaken to be asleep, he is wide awake. The poet mentions that he is a devil in the disguise of a cat and there’s no one like him. One may meet him in a by-street or in the square but when the crime is discovered, Macavity isn’t there.
The poet has also mentioned some of his crimes, saying that Macavity is the one behind looting the larder or the jewel-case. He is also behind the breaking of the greenhouse glass and the trellis. Also when the milk goes missing or Peke’s been smothered; it is
Macavity to be blamed. Whenever these offenses are discovered, Macavity is nowhere to be found. It is useless to investigate as they all know that the mastermind behind this act is undoubtedly Macavity’s. But Macavity’s a mile away from the scene of the
crime; he is either relaxing or licking his thumbs or has occupied himself in solving complicated long division sums.
The final part of the poem states that there has never been a cat of such deceitfulness and tactfulness. Macavity is always ready with an
alibi or two and when the crimes are discovered Macavity is not there. T.S Eliot talks about other wicked cats namely Mungojerrie
and Griddlebone (refer glossary) who are nothing but agents of Macavity, whom he mentions as The Napoleon of Crime.
bafflement – total confusion
Scotland Yard – the headquarters of London Metropolitan Police Service
Flying Squad – a police force ready to plunge into action
levitation – the action of rising and floating in air
fakir – a holy person who lives on alms and has the power to levitate
ginger – alert and cautious
fiend – demon
feline – cat
depravity – evil quality
larder – cupboard for storing food
rifle – ransack to steal
Peke – a Pekingese dog
stifle – to suppress someone from acting
trellis – wooden bar used as a support for creepers
Admiralty – a Government Department that administered the British Navy
deceitfulness – cunningness
suavity – confidence and sophistication
alibi – a claim of evidence that one was elsewhere when a crime was committed
Mungojerrie and Griddlebone – fictional characters specialized in petty thefts and mischief in T.S. Eliot’s book 'Old Possom's Book of Practical Cats'
Napoleon of Crime – the commanding leader of criminals
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