The Tell Tale Heart Suspense Essay

Suspense Literary Analysis Essay Final Draft

Name: Meadow Spieler In his iconic short story 'The Tell-Tale Heart,' Edgar Allan Poe employs the literary technique of setting to establish a palpable sense of suspense that pervades the narrative. Through his meticulous attention to detail and masterful manipulation of the reader's emotions, Poe creates a world that is both unsettling and captivating, drawing the reader ever deeper into the story's web of intrigue. The narrator has been taking care of the old man for quite some time. Every day he fixes his food, cleans his clothes, and much much more. But it has not been an easy journey for the narrator. Every day he has to stare into the vulture's eye. The narrator goes on about how the old

It was pitch black. The narrator just finished the murder of the old man. He very carefully cut his body parts up into small parts, separating the head, arm, and legs. He took 3 floorboards from the chamber and deposited them all between the scantlings. He did it so beautifully, so precisely, that no human eye could tell a dead man was rotting right beneath him. “When I made the end of these labors, it was four o’clock– still dark as midnight’’ (Poe 3) Throughout the beginning of the novel, the narrator was taking his time in finding the perfect night to kill the old man. He stood there for 7 days contemplating whether he should or shouldn't kill the old man at that very moment. The narrator waits eight days to commit his crime in the novel because he claims to need the old man's eye to be open in order to kill him. Interestingly, the narrator takes extreme measures in order to avoid waking the man as he enters each night. It is only the old man's eye that makes the narrator want to kill him, and so he is unable to do it until the old man is awake, his eye is visible to the narrator. But, when it was time to get rid of the body and hide the evidence, he was like a turtle running a race. Barely trying, no urgency. He explains in

Edgar Allen Poe masterfully employs the setting to create an atmosphere of suspense and unease. The story is set in a confined, dark space, which serves to heighten the sense of claustrophobia and anxiety. The use of time is also significant, as the narrator's obsession with the old man's eye builds over the course of several nights, leading to a crescendo of tension as the narrator finally takes action. The location of the story, a decrepit old house, adds to the foreboding atmosphere, as does the use of light and shadow to create a sense of unease. Finally, the emotional elements of the setting, such as the beating of the old man's heart, are used to great effect, creating a sense of dread and horror that builds to a chilling climax. All of these elements work together to create a suspenseful and unforgettable reading experience. Edgar Allan Poe's use of suspense in "The Tell-Tale Heart'' enhances the story for the reader by creating a sense of tension and unease that keeps them engaged and eager to know what happens next. By manipulating the setting, Poe can create an atmosphere of dread and horror that is both unsettling and captivating. The use of time, location, and mood all work together to build the suspense, with the narrator's obsession with the old man's eye serving as a central focus of the story. As the tension