In Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart” the narrator chronicles his scheme to murder an old man. Even though people insist that he is mad, he goes along to explain the act would be impossible for a madman to execute. While it is natural to suspect the accuracy of a tale told by such an obviously sick individual, I believe this is an accurate account told by an unwell man. The narrator begins by explaining that his senses have not been dulled by his disease, but he instead has become sharper and more aware than ever. He claims his ability to calmly and clearly tell the story as evidence that he cannot be mad. Despite his insistence that he is healthy and clear of mind it becomes increasingly obvious as he recounts the story that he is anything but. He goes on to talk about an old man which, despite expressing much fondness for, he has thoughts about killing. He blames this idea on the man’s “vulture eye”, which unnerved him so much he is willing to kill the man just to get rid of it. This shows that he is clearly not mentally well, it is not unlikely to think someone with this mindset is very much capable of carrying out such a heinous crime. …show more content…
He claims he did this for seven nights, but could not proceed with the murder because the eye was always closed, for it was not the man he wanted to get rid of, it was the eye. He also goes on to further try to prove his saneness by explaining how cautious and wise he was. The only delusion here seems to be his perception of his mental condition, and how he also tries to convince the reader that he is well. It seems clear what is real and what is simply the narrator’s