Everyone has put life on hold and become totally consumed with something at one time, and may have felt guilty or irrational for doing so. Numerous people probably have found a way to control that obsession; if not it could manifest to a much bigger problem of doing heinous things. Guilt and obsession can consume a person, if not addressed. Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell Tale Heart” is about a person who is obsessed with his housemate’s eye and kills him. The police come to investigate, and the narrator shows them around the house. After speaking with the police for a while, the killer confesses what he did and shows where the body is. Similarly, David Fincher’s Zodiac is about a serial killer near San Francisco in the 1960’s and 70’s. He reports his own murders to the police and sends coded letters to local newspapers. One cartoonist becomes obsessed with finding the Zodiac killer. Both stories illustrate the idea that guilt and obsession can cause a person to do crazy actions, through the ideas of irrational acts, fear of getting caught, and the risk of obsession …show more content…
The eye subconsciously consumes the narrator’s mind. The thought of the man’s eye consumes the narrator’s life all of the time. He is unable to go about his regular daily life. He creeps in and watches the old man sleep every night. Spending hours of his day watching him and getting no sleep. Obsession is a theme of both of the stories. In the movie, Robert is obsessed with finding the Zodiac. Robert will not stop searching for the Zodiac. He puts the other important things in life on hold as he tries to bring the Zodiac to justice. He spends so much time searching for evidence, his wife and kids leave and he loses his job. Robert is not thinking clearly at this time in his life. His brain clouded with obsession did crazy things. Obsession is only a minor factor that demonstrates that guilt and obsession can consume a