Throughout the story, it becomes more and more apparent that the narrator is not well mentally, as he experiences hallucinations and falls for his own lies. His mental illness decreases his credibility, because how could the narrator tell the true and reliable perspective of the story if he is telling it through the lens of mental illness and hallucinations? This was seen after the police came and visited the narrator. He lies to the cops about the murder and seems to be getting away with it, but that is when he suddenly hears a noise: a heartbeat. It increases in sound more and more, and that's when the narrator exclaims to himself: "The noise steadily increases. Oh, God. What can I do about this? I foamed—I raved—I swore! I swung the chair …show more content…
I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad? hearken to the snares! and observe how healthily—how calmly—I can tell you the whole story" (The Tell-Tale Heart, Edgar Allen Poe, 1). Right off the bat, we see an immediate sign of an unreliable narrator. People are calling this man crazy. No trustworthy person would be called crazy. The narrator tries to explain how he is not insane and instead claims it is just his sharper senses. But how will one claim they are not insane but thereafter also claim they can hear all things in heaven, hell, and earth? Would anybody who is sane ever have to explain this to somebody? He is in a state of denial, telling himself that he is normal. One of many lies he makes himself fall for. He then says to listen and observe how calmly and clearly he can tell the story. This story, as we have established, is through the lens of mental illness, meaning only he sees this side of the story, because he is the one with the mental illness. Sane people don’t think like he does. For example, if you were to be there with him, you would have a different story to tell because, unlike the narrator, you are looking at the situation through the lens of somebody who does not suffer from a mental illness like