The Tell-Tale Heart

“The Tell Tale Heart” written by Edgar Allen Poe was originally published in 1843. The short story delves into the mind of an unnamed madman who retells the events of a murder he committed. He explains that he killed an old man because of his eye; the narrator describes the old man’s eye as “vulture-like.” and his blood ran cold whenever he saw it. In the mind of the narrator, this eye was a source of evil and decides to kill the old man. After he kills the old man however, he still hears the heart of the old man beating and confesses his crimes to the police. To understand this story, it is first necessary to comprehend some of the most important literary elements of it. Three literary elements that are especially important for interpreting this story are symbolism, tone, and theme. Symbolism is integral in “The Tell-Tale Heart”; in particular, the old man’s eye is necessary to understanding the story. The eye is the reason why the old man was

There are several themes in “The Tell-Tale Heart”, the most obvious being that guilt cannot be hidden or outrun. Even though the narrator saw nothing wrong with his actions on the outside, his inner guilt manifested itself in a real outward experience for the narrator when he heard the dead man’s heart start beating again (Poe). Another theme that can be interpreted from the story can be seen in the quote “Madness and sanity: the narrator’s attempt to prove his sanity as he explains his meticulous plans for killing the old man only prove his madness.” (Ranalli). This theme causes the reader to question the veracity of the narrator. By telling this story, the narrator has an ulterior motive: convincing the listener of his sanity. His claims of sanity are quickly proven false when he admits that the reason he committed murder was over the old man’s eye (Poe). Understanding the themes of any story is important to understanding the story as a