Claire brings a large and strange collection of things with her to Güllen, and among them is her caged pet panther. The animal’s presence invokes Claire’s old nickname for Ill—she used to call him her “black panther.” But Ill and the cat share more than just a name—both are imprisoned by the same mistress (one in a cage, the other on the losing side of a hellish ultimatum) and they meet the same tragic end at the hands of the townspeople. Such similarities, of course, invite us to see Ill and the panther as kindred subjects, companions in suffering condemned to die at the hands of those who fear them. The panther is Ill’s animal complement—a symbol of what he ultimately becomes in the eyes of his killers, which is something less-than-human and, therefore, conscionably killable. The parallel between Ill and the panther also underscores Claire’s treatment of the people of the world as pets whom she can rename, belittle, exile, or even kill at her whim. This is behavior that, of course, the townspeople ultimately accept, despite that it dehumanizes them, too. So the panther evokes the loss of humanity among the townspeople who abandon their principles and allow themselves to be made into tools to be manipulated by Claire.
The Black Panther Symbol Timeline in The Visit
