Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat

Reality vs. Fantasy - Out of the shadows

In Bobbi Fabian’s illustration, viewers see a realistic, and very self-satisfied, cat. Neither the queen nor the mouse is pictured. Instead we see a cat licking his chops implying that he has just eaten the mouse. Behind the cat and under the throne is only shadow. We can speculate that there is nothing left of this mouse. There is a great contrast between the white cat and the black background. The background is dark and menacing while the white cat implies that good will triumph over whatever evil lurks behind the throne. There is also an interesting juxtaposition between the cat and the background. The cat is portrayed very realistically and has a natural quality to it. The throne and background look painted and not very realistic. Was the illustrator trying to get the reader to question whether or not there really was a mouse?