Self Destruction In The Tell Tale Heart

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Edgar Allan Poe is known for his dark and disturbing stories and poems that can keep some people up at night. In this story “The Tell Tale Heart”, Edgar Allan Poe tells about a man who hates the look of an old mans eye. He has nothing against him as a person; he actually likes him, however the old man’s blue eye mocks him. He believes he is smart by acting normal around him while he sneaks into the old man’s house every night trying to cut the eye out. He finally is able to kill the old man and get rid of the burden of the old man’s eye. He cuts the man up and berries him under the floorboards in his house. The cops shop up and the man are over cocky. In the end, the guilt seems to drive him crazy until he confesses to the murder. There are …show more content…

Evil over takes the heart and emotions of the younger man. This makes him commit an act of pure evil, taking the life of another human. Evil lurks throughout the whole story. It slowly drives the man crazy, making him think unration. Nothing good could come from evil committed. In the end evil wins by clouding the judgment of the young man. When there is evil there is also self-destruction. The man is over confident when the police show up asking questions. This is the ultimate down fall for the young man. Self-destruction causes him to make himself even crazier and turn himself in. The cockier one is with themselves in this type of situation the faster one will crumble down and will be unable to pull himself or herself up again. Self-destruction came because his clouded mind from the death and evil. Death, evil, and self-destruction are dark elements of Edgar Allan Poe’s work in “The Tell Tale Heart”. He allows evil to seep into the heart of a young man and let him commit the crime of murder. Due to his over confidence he is self-destructive and his life is set in stone. All three elements are linked. You cannot have one without the other. Edgar Allan Poe knew this and was able to connect