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Theme Of Symbolism In The Tell Tale Heart

1461 Words6 Pages

"The true Tarot is symbolism; it speaks no other language and offers no other signs." A. E. Waite In this essay the notion that short story 's value symbol over plot will be discussed with reference to "The Masque of the Red Death" and "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allen Poe. Many different symbols found in both texts will be analyzed. The need for symbolism and the reasoning behind it will also discussed. In the short story symbolism is extremely important as it adds a layer of depth to the story. Symbolism allows a author to hide meaning, emotion and even aspects of their own self within. Symbolism can often give a text deeper meaning and more significance. To identify symbolism in a text one must analyze it. One must truly understand it …show more content…

The old man 's heart is a symbol of the narrators own moral compass. The beating of the heart at first angers him so much as the narrator is fighting his moral compass, he holds no guilt in his intent to murder the old man nor does he desire to. The constant beating is the incessant nagging of his conscience begging to be heard. The narrators lack of guilt goes as far as to allow him to be boastful of what he believes to be the perfect crime. The narrator is able to casually lie to the police and is bold enough to invite them to rest above the hidden remains of the old man. However the narrators anger soon wavers and turns into guilt as the constant ticking of the heart is slowly deafening him. "It grew louder—louder—louder!" (Poe, 1843) He grows so guilty that he confesses his crime to the officers that he 'd so calmly lied to not long before. The narrators moral code once ignored is now so loud that he cannot bear it, it can no longer be silenced. "“dissemble no more! I admit the deed!—tear up the planks! here, here!—It is the beating of his hideous heart!”" (Poe, …show more content…

Symbolism is an undeniable driving force in short stories. However that does not devalue the importance of the plot. Plot and symbolism coexist equally as without one the other could not exist. If a short story was a canvas, the plot would be the picture, a beautiful image that tells a story. Symbolism would be what 's inside of that picture. Aspects of the artist hidden within. The notion of plot and symbolism can be easily compared to a game of hide and seek. Because to truly understand the story you have to search the plot for the inner meaning. Plot is the bones of the short story, everything it relies on to exist but symbolism hidden within is the soul of the short story and

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