ipl-logo

Guilt And Obsession In Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart

801 Words4 Pages

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

Show More
Related
1245 Words | 5 Pages

Although both stories contain expressive and colorful descriptions of the events that occur and how the characters feel, The Jilting of

Read More
447 Words | 2 Pages

Another item that is extremely important in both stories is the use and importance of fate. Both characters rely on their fates for assistance and for achieving

Read More
728 Words | 3 Pages

“ The Tell-Tale Heart” Interpretive Essay Is the complex character created by Edgar Allan Poe a calculated killer or a delusional madman. In the short story “The Tell Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe, the main character has a mental condition which causes him to kill a neighbor. He believes that his neighbor has a “vulture eye” which is the reason why he killed him. Night after night, he watches the man and plans how to kill him. Then one night, he puts his plan into action.

Read More
97 Words | 1 Pages

Both of these stories use the theme of isolation, madness, symbolism and have an ironic ending.

Read More
448 Words | 2 Pages

From the beginning of the novel the narrator shows ignorance and prejudice towards Robert, he is fighting with his own of jealousy and insecurity. Being unhappy with his own life, the narrator sees Robert as a possible threat to his usual evening with pot and TV, without realizing that in order to be satisfied he should step out of his habitual

Read More
1192 Words | 5 Pages

Humans are not perfect beings free from illness and corruption. Things can go wrong and often types people suffer for it. They can go insane. This is further explored in the short story “The Tell-Tale Heart.” written by Edgar Allan Poe and “The Yellow Wallpaper.” written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman they are similar due to the recurring themes in both texts featuring appearance vs. reality, and Madness.

Read More
560 Words | 3 Pages

The Style of Poe Analysis In “The Tell-tale Heart” by Edgar Allen Poe, the demented, arrogant and dark tones reflect the man’s guilt and insanity that eventually leds him to admit to the crime he committed. Poe’s diction heightens the arrogant tones which is seen as the man plans the murder and carries it out in a careful, organized way. He goes “boldly” into the chamber, “cunningly” sticks his head in the doorway and feels “the extent of his own power”. Poe’s use of diction shows how cocky the man actually is.

Read More
889 Words | 4 Pages

In both stories the narrator's obsession is portrayed

Read More
806 Words | 4 Pages

Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner shows that guilt will destroy any life, no matter what a person tries to do to fix it. The Kite Runner demonstrates that guilt will destroy any life. No matter what someone has done it can stick with them for their entire life and ruin themselves. For example, in the novel, Amir

Read More
675 Words | 3 Pages

From Macbeth feeling “drowned in blood”, to Lady Macbeth not being able to wash her hands, shows how guilt will always come from making bad decisions. One wrong choice can ruin a person's life

Read More
936 Words | 4 Pages

A Guilty Conscience: How Guilt Drives the Powerful to Insanity Guilt is the cause of the destruction of many, particularly in Shakespeare’s Tragedy of Macbeth. As Macbeth and Lady Macbeth continue to murder for the sake of power, they embark on opposite journeys but their guilt ultimately drives them both to insanity. Macbeth goes from being driven mad with guilt, to his instability causing him to murder recklessly. His wife goes from expressing no compassion or guilt to her guilt overcoming her and driving her to madness.

Read More
389 Words | 2 Pages

The Tell-Tale Heart is a story about an insane narrator claiming to his sanity after murdering an old man out of anxiety and panic. Many believe the evidence points to the narrator being a calculated killer. After reviewing the symptoms of the narrator I believe him to be a man plagued with anxiety issues and panic attacks. First of all, the only reason the narrator had for such crime was of his eye, the eye of a vulture, nothing else. Not for his gold, property, or vengeance just his eye.

Read More
983 Words | 4 Pages

Every day and night that the eye would haunt him, he would receive a better understanding to how he will overcome the eye. An obsession begins as a thought about someone or something, which is what happens to the narrator, the thought of the eye is the beginning of his obsession for it. The author satisfies his obsession “every night, about midnight” by “turning the latch” of the old man’s door and peeking his head through (3.4-7). By doing so, he got to take a look at the old man’s pale blue eye. To the narrator this eye stimulates an unhealthy obsession.

Read More
928 Words | 4 Pages

To properly determine whether or not the narrator in Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Tell Tale Heart” is insane a definition of insanity must be brought to light; possible explanations for his transgression must be examined, and the scope of information that has been provided must be understood for what it is. To understand if someone is insane or not, American society must lay bare a universal definition for insanity. As a whole, society today does not shy away from using words such as insane or crazy. This careless use of words leads to the definitions becoming less clear.

Read More
745 Words | 3 Pages

“It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.” ( Voltaire) This quote helps explain the main idea of The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe , a story about a narrator who is the caregiver of the old man who explains his reasons and his exact ways for killing the old man he was taking care of. Out of spite for the victims vulture-like cataract eye, he plots this plan to kill for weeks to rid of the eye. He finally succeeds until a nosy neighbor foils the scheme. These are 3 reasons why the narrator is guilty of murder.

Read More

More about Guilt And Obsession In Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart

Related Topics

Open Document