The Tell-Tale Heart The story of The Tell-Tale Heart is dealing with a man, who killed an innocent old man, which he is currently being punished for. In the story the narrator says “TRUE… nervous… very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am” (Poe). This sentence gives a great amount of insight into the narrator and the way the story is being told. The entire story is a flashback of what happened and why he believes it was necessary. It has been considered that Poe uses a flashback, which gives the narrator an extended opportunity to assure the audience of his sanity. Although, he is in reality deranged. Additionally, the flashback allows us to get a little insight into his current state after confessing to the murder. The audience believes the feelings the narrator describes and that he has killed the old man. Nevertheless, it seems as though the narrator has left out important parts like the exact relationship between him and the old man, which means the audience recognize that not all the details and additionally the narrator cannot be trusted. (Hsu) The narrator’s physical appearance or gender is not specified. A common assumption is that the narrator is male. Moreover, when analysing the language used there is no evidence of a specific gender. (Rajan) Critics have argued that Poe wanted people to gain their own impression of the character, also it tells people that this narrator could be anyone. (Eddings) The details and his extreme patience in his actions, have