The Tell-Tale Heart Insane

In literature, authors are known for their works by the use of their literary elements. In Edgar Allen Poe’s, “The Tell-Tale Heart”, Poe uses many different elements to create one of the most well-known, fictitious works of his career. In this short story, the narrator attempts to convince the reader that he is not maniacal. While analyzing this literature, there is enough evidence in this short story to conclude that the narrator is insane. In this story, the point of view is given by the narrator. The narrator begins the story by proclaiming his sanity and ensuring the reader that he can stay calm while recalling the events of the story. He explains that he does not know what produced the thought of killing the old man, but that once the

The story takes places in the old man’s home. The narrator kills the old man because he feels that is the only way to regain peace. Irony is used when the killer states “I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him” (Poe). After killing the old man, the killer states, “His eye will trouble me no more” (Poe). The killer dismembers the old man’s body in the bathtub, and because there is no visible evidence of the old man’s murder, the killer attempts to convince himself that he is not insane. Due to the nature of the old mans murder, the police arrive stating that there were complaints made that a screech came from inside the old man’s house. The killer invites the police in and tells them that they are more than welcome to look around. The killer leads the police to the room in which the old man’s remains are buried under the floor and invites them to sit and rest. The longer the police and killer sit in the room, the killers guilt manifests itself in the form of a hallucinatory sound, a heart beat. The heart beat becomes louder and louder and the killer finds himself talking louder to mask the sound. Imagery is used to vividly describe the sound of the heart beating under the floor boards. The guilt of the murder becomes too much for the killer to bare. The killer becomes paranoid and confesses the murder of the old man and reveals where he has buried the old man’s