...Alejandro Almonte Percy Haynes English 201 September 27, 2014 “A Question of Motive in The Tell Tale Heart” Why did the man in The Tell Tale Heart kill the old man? That is the question that Poe asks you to ponder in his story yet he gives us scant clues as to the answer. The motive eludes us even as the murderer is guilted into confessing by his own mind and then goes on to thoroughly detail his gruesome deed. The murderer will be referred to as “he” although his sex is never revealed, he refers to himself as a “madman” within this first person narrative (Shen, 287). This piece is tightly written, short to read and it builds at a frantic and hurried pace and then climaxes abruptly. This leaves the reader craving more details and to wishing confirm the man’s motives. Poe’s story consists of the author’s unique ability to create grotesque inventiveness and superb plot construction (Shen, 275). Some interpret the old man as the father of the murderer and his act a release of built up tension and resentment toward him (DeBord, 1). There appears to be no familial bond in the heart of the man when describing the old man, he also lacks the rage that one would expect if the act were resentment fueled murder. Instead the old man seems to be a fond acquaintance of our murderer, because they reside within the same home it can be hypothesized that one or the other is simply a boarder in the other’s home. There is no malice, no greed and no disdain to motivate him, he even...
Words: 1605 - Pages: 7
...The world which Poe would have known was more superstitious and dangerous than what we know today. For example, in the 19th century having a coma could be mistaken for death, as a result, it was not uncommon to be buried alive, Poe included live burial in many of his works – to exploit public fears. One of the main assets of his work however is his ability to build intense suspense. By using a variety of techniques Poe was able to create tension and mystery in his (short) stories: Poe employs excessively detailed descriptions and repetition to delay the reader’s arrival at the final climax; Poe does this because he wanted to give time for the suspense to build up before arrival at the inevitably blood-curdling climax. For example, In tell-tale heart before the murderer kills the old man there is a substantial amount of repetition and more complex sentences : ” cautiously -- oh, so cautiously -- cautiously (for the hinges creaked), I undid it just so much that a single thin ray fell upon the vulture eye.” As a result of this delay, the reader becomes even more inquisitive over what events will happen next. The narrator’s use of unnatural language hints at the abnormal mental state of the narrator: He describes the old man’s eye as ‘Evil’ or ’Damned’- damned in this case meaning satanic or cursed. The reader, therefore, has cause to doubt the sanity of the narrator and therefore, what he is going to do. Furthermore the narrator in TTH enjoys recounting, in gruesome detail,...
Words: 804 - Pages: 4
...A comparison between A Tell-Tale Heart and American Psycho Introduction A Tell-Tale heart is about a man and his urge to kill another man. American Psycho is about a man and his urge to kill other people. The two protagonists are both insane and dealing with a comprehensive problem. There is one slight distinction between them; Patrick Bateman's victims are in plural, the narrator in A Tell-Tale Heart's victim is in singular. Bateman kills people for his own satisfaction, the nameless narrator does it because of his urge to get rid of an eye. Similarities Patrick Bateman and the nameless narrator both feel the judgement or "the eye" of the antagonist. This force them to do very drastic actions in order to control their psychological problems. The main character in American Psycho appears very normal to the public. This is getting clarified in the beginning of the movie, while doing his morning routine, this goes through his mind: "There is an idea of a Patrick Bateman; some kind of abstraction. But there is no real me: only an entity, something illusory. And though I can hide my cold gaze, and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable... I simply am not there. " (American Psycho).This gives the reader a big clue on Patrick Bateman's view of himself. He doesn't see himself as a real person, and all the people he meets and talks to never get an idea of the real monster that hides inside him. The only...
Words: 584 - Pages: 3
...Mentality Transformed The short stories “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne and “The Tell Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe are stories that showcase similarities such as mental health and macabre. They also have two important differences such as murder and religion. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “Young Goodman Brown” one will read about a man name Goodman Brown leaving home to go on a voyage. On this voyage he enters a dark and gloomy forest where it is told that the Devil lives. He hopes to return to his wife and not be swayed by the evils lurking in the forest. After the night his faith and mindset are shattered when he returns home. His journey shows that the events that occurred can either be real or an insight look into...
Words: 1832 - Pages: 8
...The True Demise of Myself Lets take a journey through the mind of a man who is torn between his “id” and “superego.” In the short story “The Tell-Tale Heart,” by Edgar Alan Poe, a man cannot choose between right and wrong. Through the psychological theory I can prove how a man is torn between his “id,” “ego,” and “superego” and to proud to show his true identity of being a psychopath. The man is portrayed as the narrator and has taken on two identities one as a loving and caring man and the other is a psychopath. The “id” will take over his “ego” only to be taken over by his “superego” and eventually taken back over by his “ego.” Our journey starts with the young man, the narrator, telling us his story. The young man is a caretaker of an old man who is really old and has a diseased eye. In “The Tell-Tale Heart” the young man starts out by loving the old man very deeply. He takes care of his every need, until one day “ the old man’s eye fell upon him and his blood ran cold”(Poe 2). The young man then turned to his narcissistic ways and it changed the way he felt about the old man whom “he loved so dearly” (Poe 1). In “ Explanation of: ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’ by Edgar Alan Poe,” which was rewritten by an unknown author, it explains how the narrator is a “paranoid schizophrenic”(pg. 1). The article explains how Edgar Alan Poe was obsessed with “death, madness, and troubled human relationships” (pg. 1). The narrator is definitely a man caught between normality and psychopath. Further...
Words: 1563 - Pages: 7
...Poe’s suspenseful short story, Tell-Tale Heart, effectively portrays the killer through the use of literary tools and themes such as mortality, imagery, and point of view. The main character wants to show he is not insane, and even offers a story as proof. The narrator’s decision to kill the old man so that the eye would stop looking at him marked the initial situation. The motives of the killer aren’t understood, which makes the murder mystery difficult to understand. Was the narrator insane? Did he kill the old man in self-defense? As such, the fear of death is expressed in the text. For example, “I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever.” This excerpt illustrates the narrator’s thoughts of mortality. “Yes, he was stone, stone dead”, depicts how the narrator continued to express the old man’s death in a conspicuous/ distinct manner. Edgar Allen Poe can build so much fixated context over the old mans “vulture eye”, amplifying the use of imagery in the text. “You fancy me mad...You should have seen how wisely I proceeded.” This is ironic because the man tells himself he is normal that he is killing a man because of his eye. Another example is, “a pale blue eye, with a film over it.” The symbol in this quote was the film over the eye, how the man couldn't see as well what was going on right under his nose. Poe creates confusion using his pandemonium literature to render the imagery of the story. Whether or not the old man...
Words: 526 - Pages: 3
...narrator in “The Tell Tale Heart” has felt all of these feelings. The narrator in “The Tell Tale Heart” is psychotic. He shows us his insecurity because he wants to kill the old man just because of his malformed eye. He thinks it is alright to kill the old man and because he believes he is right, he thinks killing the old man is a stable and rational thing to do. In the end, his mental illnesses drive him to his confession of this awful act. In the "Tell-Tale Heart", Edgar Allan Poe uses irony, imagery, and symbolism to describe how psychotic, frighteningly, and twisted mind this narrator really is. First, irony the narrator confesses how sane he is; he is exhibiting his insanity as he describes his actions and motives for the murder (Edgar, Poe). Secondly, irony in the story is that the narrator/murderer refers to how he loves the old man and quote, “I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I kill him’’(Poe). Its irony that he loves the guy but he systematically plans to kill him. Lastly, an irony of this short story is that shortly after the narrator kills the old man and hides his heart underneath the Adams 2 floorboard, the police arrive, while talking to them he begins to hear beating, and he eventually breaks and confess to killing the man (Poe). The killer believes that he hear the old man heart beat underneath...
Words: 893 - Pages: 4
...The narrator of the story “The Tale-Tell Heart” did undergo some psychiatric problems of his mental health. Even though he denied it by saying he wasn’t crazy during most of the story, it was obvious he really was. His mental illness was shown through his actions towards an old man with an eye that vexed him badly. Experts would say that his state of mind is not normal, there is some illness. The person narrating the story had a lot of things that was wrong with him. In the story, he says, “The disease had sharpened my sense-not destroyed-not dulled them,” but he wanted the audience to believe that he was perfectly sane. The narrator states, “I think it was his eye! Yes it was this! He had an eye of a vulture…” The hatred towards the eye...
Words: 378 - Pages: 2
...“The Tell-Tale Heart” is narrated by an unnamed individual about which little is revealed. The only fact that is known for certain is that the narrator lives with, and serves, an elderly man. At first he cannot speak to his motive for murder: “I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire.” (1127) Grasping for a motive, he says, “I think it was his eye!” and then, as if to convince himself as much as the audience, he declares, “yes, it was this!” (1127) Searching for a reason for his actions, his uncertainty is apparent and he attempts to justify the brutal murder and dismemberment of the old man, for which there is no apparent logical explanation, by blaming the “Evil Eye.” (1127)...
Words: 1447 - Pages: 6
...Ever heard of the story The Tell Tale Heart? It is a dark story of a man descended into madness murdering an old man. But not everyone thinks he was a mad man, some think he was just acting or that murdering the man brought him into madness. Everyone has their opinion on this matter and we will be exploring just one of them. Well truly it’s more like I am defending my opinion on this story and how I believe the man truly was with evidence from the story itself. I would have to say that the man was truly insane and completely capable of planning ahead despite of his mental state. I say he was a mad man because of his reasons for his actions, the narrator explains in the story page 1 says: “I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire I think it was his eye! Yes, it was this!” (Tell-Tale-Heart) and this was enough to drive him to murder. His drive for the murder was such a simple and pathetic reason that anyone sane would have to disagree that it would be an acceptable reason....
Words: 680 - Pages: 3
...Literature 11 February 2015 “The Presence of a Motive in ‘The Cask of Amontillado’” In many countries, the highest offense one can commit is insulting the family of another, as family is a strong source of history and pride. Conflicts between families have fueled many a feud or violent campaign, and insult is never left to injury; action must be taken. In Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “The Cask of Amontillado,” the narrator, Montresor, does not appear explicitly insane, as many would argue, but rather to be acting on a motive against his victim, Fortunato. This premeditated intent to take revenge can be seen in Fortunato’s consistent disrespect for Montresor’s family, Montresor’s lack of guilt, which is exhibited during the act and also in the final phrase of the story, and finally through Poe’s method of singular effect. Montresor’s extreme distaste for Fortunato is immediately evident. He opens his murderous, half a century year old tale by stating, “The thousands of injuries of Fortunato...
Words: 1505 - Pages: 7
...“The Tell-Tale Heart” is narrated by an unnamed individual about which little is revealed. The only fact that is known for certain is that the narrator lives with, and serves, an elderly man. At first he cannot speak to his motive for murder: “I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire.” Grasping for a motive, he says, “I think it was his eye!” and then, as if to convince himself as much as the audience, he declares, “yes, it was this!” Searching for a reason for his actions, his uncertainty is apparent and he attempts to justify the brutal murder and dismemberment of the old man, for which there is no apparent logical explanation, by blaming the “Evil Eye.” The narrator spends a...
Words: 332 - Pages: 2
...Christina Coke Dr. Catherine Milton ENG 102, Essay #1 –First Draft October 1, 2014 The Use of First Person Point of View Have you ever tried to tell somebody’s story? A story meant to be funny, and all you got were blank stares and awkward silence? But when that person tells their story, it’s a lot more hilarious, and everybody laughs? It’s the same story but from two different point of views, which makes all the difference. In the world of literature, there are three common point of views often used. Evidently in this superb story, the author Poe chose to use the first person, this establishes a sense of rapport between the reader and the narrator. We see everything through their eyes and understand their motives, thoughts, feelings and actions. Poe could have conveyed the story through the third person, but with a story like “The Tell- Tale Heart” the first person point of view becomes so vital to the whole concept of the story. Using the first person point of view enhances the drama, helps the reader to understand not only the plot of the story, but also the central character on which the story hinges. Throughout this story, it seems like the narrator is present there in the room, telling their story, first-hand, and this intensifies the dramatic effect of the story. A classic example of this would be the opening sentence where the narrator describes how “very dreadfully nervous” he feels. His feelings don’t become filtered through the distance of a third person narrator...
Words: 1134 - Pages: 5
...{A Case Study of Madness } Robert “Devin” Earl {Friday, February 5, 2016} Throughout Edgar Allen Poe’s work Tell Tale Heart several patterns, and symbolic elements are present. Each of these elements play respective roles in revealing the purpose of the work as a whole. Poe wants to convey a feeling of paranoia and mental illness. Its as if Poe wants his work to function as a summary of a case study about mental deterioration. He uses his diction purposefully and scarcely in order to have the main character convey a feeling of obsession with very specific entities of the old man. The main character has a unhealthy fixation on the old man’s eye, his heartbeat and even his claim to sanity. As the story progresses sever different psychological contradictions come to illumination that each contribute to the general profile of a murder. In example the narrator openly admits “to being dreadfully nervous”, however he is unable to comprehend why he is thought of as deranged He articulates his self-defense against madness in terms of increased sensory ability. Instead of of viewing this hypersensitivity as a clue to being mentally unwell the narrator uses it to prove to himself his possession of sanity and not a product of madness. Another symbolic element that proves Poe is conveying a study of the mentally unstable is the narrator’s detachment between emotional feelings such as love and hate. Poe uses his story to explore a psychological paradox between those who cannot truly...
Words: 420 - Pages: 2
...The Tell Tale Heart. What was it exactly that this poor man was thinking? Was he insane or did he mean to commit a crime? Follow the Psychiatric Evaluation written to discover all the evidence and truths you will ever need to understand The Tell Tale Heart misfortune. So you have decided to follow along out of curiosity. Well you won’t regret it. This is like one of those mystery movies where they must discover the man under the mask. Except, the culprit of the story is wearing no mask. The first thing you should understand about the culprit, is the most basic: what crime he has committed. The man had spent most his time peering in on the old man as he slept. He would watch the old man’s eye, still open even in slumber. For some reason, this frightened the younger man, even though, the old man’s eye could have just been victim to nocturnal lagophthalmos, a type of sleeping disorder where your eyes are not fully closed. The young man explained the man’s eyes as a pale white blueish color....
Words: 759 - Pages: 4
