Critical Analysis of Poes The Tell Tale Heart Essay -- Poe Tell Tale

Critical Analysis of Poes The secern bilgewater marrow squash The reveal Tale Heart is a story, on the most basic level, of conflict. There is a mental conflict within the narrator himself (assuming the narrator is male). Through explicit clues and statements, Poe alerts the reader to the mental state of the narrator, which is insanity. The insanity is described as an arrested development (with the old bits eye), which in turn leads to loss of control and eventually results in violence. Ultimately, the narrator tells his story of killing his housemate. Although the narrator work throughms to be blatantly insane, and calculates he has freedom from wrong-doing, the feeling of guilt everywhere the murder is too overpower to bear. The narrator can non tolerate it and eventually confesses his supposed perfect crime. People tend to think that insane persons argon beyond the normal realm of reason shared by those who are in their right mind. This is non so guilt is an emotion shared by all humans. The most unhinged individuals are not above the feeling of guilt and the havoc it causes to the psyche. Poes use of setting, character, and row reveal that even an insane person feels guilt. Therein lies the theme to The Tell Tale Heart The emotion of guilt easily, if not eventually, crashes through the obviously unbreakable walls of insanity. On the surface, the physical setting of The Tell Tale Heart is typical of the period and exceedingly typical of Poe. The narrator and the old man live in an old, dark house (for the shutters were close fastened, through aid of robbers) (Poe 778). Most of the story takes place at night And this I did for septenary long nights-every night just at midnight? (778). The physical aspect is not the most important comp wholenessnt of setting for this analysis. More important are the mental and emotional settings. This clearly explains the personality of the narrator. One can tackle the narrator is insane. He freely consent s to his listener that he is ?-nervous-very, very rottenly nervous? (777). But he then asks, ?but why ordain you say that I am mad? (777). He also admits that, The infirmity had sharpened my senses? (777). If not insanity, what disease does he speak of? The reason for his actions was one of the old mans eyes ?-a pale blue eye, with a film over it (777). This is easily recognizable to the reader as an eye with cataract on it. This is nothin... ...ust foretell or die -and now-again -hark louder louder louder louder-? Villains I shrieked, dissemble no more I admit the deed - tear up the planks -here, here- it is the beating of his hideous totality(780). These final two lines in the story beautifully demonstrate how speech was used to show insanity being overturned by guilt. troika elements of literary work that truly sum up the theme of The Tell Tale Heart are setting, character, and language. Through these elements we can easily see how guilt, an emotion, can be more powerful than insanity. Even the most demented criminal has feelings of guilt, if not remorse, for what he has done. This is shown exquisitely in Poes writing. All common chord elements were used to their extreme to convey the theme. The balance of the elements is such that some hightail it into others. It is sometimes hard to distinguish one from another. Poes usage of these elements shows his mastery not only over the pen, but over the mind as well. industrial plant CitedPoe, Edgar Allan. The Tell-Tale Heart. Literature An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 7th ed. New York Longman, 1999. 33-37.