The Tale-Tale Heart Mood

One in four people in the world are mentally insane. Edgar Allen Poe was one of those people. In the story, “The-Tale-Tale-Heart” by Edgar Allen Poe, a frightening mood is created through diction, dark imagery, and paradox. The Tale-Tale-Heart was written in 1843 so the creepiest of the story partially fits in the time period and partially does not. This theme is developed throughout the story by the author. Edgar Allen Poe uses specific diction that assists in making a alarming and chilling tone. The author explains, “It was impossible to see how first the idea entered my brain” he goes on to say “But once conceived, it haunted me day and night. (Poe 174). The narrator uses the word conceived to make a creepier mood when he is talking about

“One of his eyes resembled that of a vulture- a pale blue eye, with a film over it” (Poe 174-175), Poe describes the old man’s eye. This characterization creates a scary picture in your head about the old man's eye and how it looks, but also makes you feel there is something wrong with the man. “...- you cannot imagine how stealthily” Poe conveys how he is shining light on the eye, until at length, a single dim ray like the thread of the spider, shot from out the crevice and full upon the vulture eye”, he finishes (Poe 177-178). The author illustrates how he is shedding light on the old man’s eye in a extreme stalkerish way that leaves you with a weird feeling. Once Poe decides he can not bear the eye he describes his process, “He shrieked once- only once. In an instant I dragged him to the floor and pulled the heavy bed over him, he continues his insanity, I then smiled gaily to find the deed so far done. But, for many minutes, the heart beat on with a muffled sound (Poe 178-179). The description of how the narrator is killing the old man confirms the craziness of the story and how dark the mood is. For me, this description also made my brain tie this event to scary movies I have seen, stories I have heard, exc., and made all different types of images come in my head. This dark and mysterious imagery contributes to the insane mood portrayed through the short

Poe states in the short story, “You should have seen how wisely I proceeded- with what caution-... I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him” ( Poe 175). How Poe describes how nice he was to the old man before he killed him makes you see the scary and insane tone. Poe goes on to say, “And now have I not told you that what you mistake for madness is but over acuteness of the senses?... there came to my eyes a low, dull, quick sound.” He continues, “ It was the beating of the old man's heart. It increased my fury, as the beating of a drum stimulates the soldier into courage (Poe 178). The man shows how he is not mad by saying how angry he got while looking at the man. Poe states, “If you still think me mad you will no longer think so when I describe the wise precautions I took for the concealment of the body…” Poe continues describing, “First of all I dismembered the corpse. I cute of the head and the arms and the legs” (Poe 179). As the narrator is happy about cutting all the man's body parts the reader can 100% see the insanity in the story. All of Poe’s attempts to convince the reader that he was not crazy made him appear even more