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The Tell-Tale Heart

There is no doubt that a short story The Tell- Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe is an

extremely interesting literary work characterized by typical peculiarities defining the writing

style of Poe. This short story impresses with the atmosphere of mystery, unusual organization

of the narration, and extraordinary imagery. On the whole, the theme of this literary work is

assertion that people are able to commit outrageous senseless crimes that results in severe

guilt which is more painful and intolerable than any legal prosecution and punishment. Poe

underlines the fact that crime was senseless describing its reason. The reason of murder is

definitely bogus and made- up: the protagonist of the short story kills an old man because the

latter looks at him with his Evil Eye. The Evil Eye causes anxiety of the main character and

provokes a strong feeling of utter discomfort. Naturally, the old man from the narration is,

probably, an ordinary old man residing alone and leading a calm solitary life. It is

understandable that the so- called Evil Eye is nothing but the product of the protagonist's

imagination and a hallucination accompanying him in the state of mental disorder.

However, although it is not difficult for the main character to commit a crime and

conceal all the evidence that may ruin him, his guilt appears to be extremely strong. Guilt

does not allow him to act according to his initial plan and forces him to reveal the detail of

the murder to officials. Guilt is presented as an intolerable inconvenience completely

disrupting a regular life and a habitual course of things. It is associated with a powerful

symbol of a beating heart, the heart producing a low, dull, quick sound- much such a sound

as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton (Poe 1). The sound increases and arouses strong

negative feelings of the protagonist preventing him not only from concentration but also from

casual daily routine and a conversation. In my opinion, in such a way, the author wanted to

underline that committing a crime may be easy but it is not easy to escape from one's
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conscience and continue to live as if nothing has happened. Besides, I believe that the ease of

crime and the strength of guilt pose a contrast destined to underline the theme of the short

story and produce the necessary effect on readers.

The Tell- Tale Heart is distinguished by a first person point of view. The story is

told by the protagonist who describes his thoughts and feelings during the preparations to the

murder, the murder itself and events following his dreadful crime. The protagonist constantly

mentions that his mental state is normal and attempts to convince readers in it. He notes that

his story is very detailed and matter- of- fact that may serve as a proof of his satisfactory

mental health. The protagonist also notes that his senses are sharp and that he can perfectly

recollect the whole story, his emotions and even reproduce the story is a calm and collected

way. According to the protagonist, it may serve as another evidence of his adequacy: Above

all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard

many things in hell. How then am I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthily, how calmly, I

can tell you the whole story (Poe 1).

In general, the protagonist is perceived as a normal person who is eventually affected

by insanity and committed a crime under the influence of delusions and hallucinations. It is

interesting that the manner of narration and a first person point of view make the protagonist

closer to his audience. As a result, it is relatively easy for readers to put themselves on the

place of the protagonist and imagine that this situation happened to them. It produces an

additional impression grounded on a mystical fear and dark thoughts. It should be mentioned

that Edgar Allan Poe was the master of influencing the public in such a way. In fact, this

peculiarity of his literary works became one of the main features distinguishing his writing

style from styles of other prominent writers. Besides, the first person of view serves as one

of the main means of the theme expression. It helps to emphasize the theme and give it a
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special emotional flavor: Object there was none. Passion there was none. I loved the old

man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no

desire. I think it was his eye! Yes, it was this! (Poe 1).

The protagonist can be defined as an unknown person and a narrator of the story. In

fact, the text barely contains any information about the main character. His past, profession

and appearance are unknown. Literary critics consider that he is most likely to be a servant of

the old man. I am firmly convinced that lack of information regarding the protagonist helps

the author to create the planned impression. When readers have no information about the

main character and the story is characterized by the first person point of view, it is easier for

readers to associate themselves with the narrator and experience deep feelings.

In general, characterization is indirect and involves an inner world of the protagonist.

In the beginning he is portrayed as a lunatic who presents himself as an adequate person. He

raves about the Evil Eye and perceives the old man as his enemy and victim. However, at the

end, the protagonist is not able to keep up with his cool- headed plan of concealing his crime

and informs policemen about the real course of events. Hence, readers can assume that the

main character of the story has a kind heart and a strong conscience. It may be considered

that the main reason of the crime is not a wicked nature of the protagonist but his mental

illness.

On the whole, the story The Tell- Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe is a brilliant

literary piece. It produces a strong impression with the help of a first person point of view, an

interesting theme and organization of the story, an unusual character and a strong imagery.

The author plays with imagination of readers and makes them experience unique emotions.

In my opinion, Edgar Allan Poe can be considered one of the most prominent masters of

unforgettable and captivating short stories.

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Works Cited

Poe, Edgar Allan. The Tell-Tale Heart. Literature.org. Knowledge Matters Ltd. Jan. 1843.

Web. 12 July 2011.