Chapter 21: Jubilate – An Homage in Catterel Verse to Cherie the Cat

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

The poem "Jubilate: An Homage in Catterel Verse" is a playful, multi-stanza tribute to the poet's cat, Cherie. Oates begins by considering Cherie the apotheosis of cat beauty, noting that such beauty is ordinary in cats. She describes the cat's purring as hypnotic and its claw-kneading as a warning that links it to the tiger tribe. The poem then contrasts cats with dogs: cats embody a Platonic "Catitude" and have the "sheathed claw" of subtlety, while dogs offer uncritical adulation that makes humans less intelligent. Oates imagines that many Twitter users are cats, slyly retweeting to replicate a feral soul beneath civilization. Cherie's independence is celebrated—she lives free, does not obey, and has an inscrutable interior life. The cat's gift of a dead mouse is presented as a freely given offering, unlike a dog's subservient actions. Oates then portrays Cherie as the harshest critic of prose, rejecting mediocre writing and even preventing the poet from leaving her desk. This feline influence, she asserts, leads to the creation of the best books. The poem concludes with a catalog of famous cat-loving writers, suggesting that cats are the true collaborators in literature.

Key Events

Oates identifies Cherie as the embodiment of cat beauty and describes her purring and claw-kneading.
She contrasts the cat's Platonic essence (Catitude) with the gross variation and servility of dogs.
Oates imagines cats as a large, nocturnal faction on Twitter, replicating a feral soul.
The poet praises the cat's independent spirit, using the motto "Live free or die."
Cherie's refusal to come when called is framed as having a rich interior life, unlike a dog.
The cat brings in a dead mouse and drops it at Oates's feet as a gift.
Oates declares that the cat is the harshest critic of prose, rejecting work the dog would slobber over.
Cherie physically blocks Oates from leaving her desk, forcing her to continue writing.
The poem lists numerous writers (Simenon, Colette, Hemingway, etc.) who had cats and implies that cats are co-authors.

Character Development

Cherie the cat is characterized as beautiful, independent, inscrutable, and demanding. She is a giver of gifts but withholds affection on her own terms. Oates herself emerges as a writer who both admires and is dominated by her cat, accepting Cherie's judgment of her work. The dynamic shows Oates as humble before her pet, who is elevated to a harsh but necessary critic. No other named characters appear.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Cat versus Dog: Cats represent independence, subtlety, and Platonic perfection; dogs represent subservience, dullness, and blind adoration.
The Cat as Muse and Critic: Cherie becomes both the inspiration for and the judge of the poet's work, even physically preventing her from stopping.
The Feral Soul of Civilization: Cats are likened to the dark, fecund sea upon which civilization floats uneasily, suggesting an untamable natural force.
Gift-Giving as Free Will: The cat's dead mouse is a pure, freely given gift, unlike the conditioned behavior of dogs.
Literary Collaboration: The poem implies that the best books are "cat-written," naming a lineage of cat-owning authors.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter is a tonal shift from the more somber or narrative sections of American Melancholy. It offers a humorous, affectionate, and metafictional interlude that reveals Oates's personal relationship with her pet and her craft. The poem serves as a meditation on creativity, independence, and the often-unsung role of animals in the writer's life. It also reinforces the book's exploration of melancholy by celebrating a creature that lives entirely in the present, yet whose very inscrutability echoes deeper human longings.

Study Questions

How does Oates contrast cats and dogs in "Jubilate"?
Oates portrays cats as independent, Platonic beings with subtlety and an interior life, while dogs are depicted as subservient, uncritical, and even make humans "dumber" through their adulation. The cat's gifts are freely given, whereas the dog's behavior is conditioned.
What is the significance of the cat's gift of a dead mouse?
The gift represents the cat's pure free will and independence. Unlike a dog, which acts to please, the cat offers the mouse without expectation, embodying a form of pure generosity that Oates contrasts with human and canine subservience.
How does the poem reflect Oates's view of the writing process?
The cat acts as a harsh critic who rejects mediocre prose and physically forces the writer to continue working. This suggests that true creativity requires a relentless, almost tyrannical drive, and that the best writing emerges from a collaborative, even agonistic, relationship with one's inspiration.