Fear and Guilt in Poes The Tell-Tale Heart Story

Table of Contents

Introduction
Main body
Conclusion
Work Cited

Introduction

Poes story, The Tell-Tale Heart, features a man who plans and murders his elderly next-door neighbor. The story rushes into the action, leaving the reader with no time to get to know the characters or learn about their relationships with the environment. Although the male protagonist of story adaptations has always been the center of attention, Poes story makes determining the narrators gender difficult. A rational narrator speculates that the old man was murdered because the offender identified the old mans eye as the source of his rage. In his confession, the protagonist goes into great detail about why he committed the murder. He confesses to the police due to the loud thumping of the victims heart, which he had heard the entire time he was narrating the story. Poes story shows several manifestations of fear and guilt in life and the associated impacts it has on peoples psychological well-being.

Main body

The guilt and fear of the narrator are exposed by the continued defense of his sanity, which eventually leads to confession. The narrator defends his mental well-being and provides numerous examples of actions that, in his opinion, demonstrate this point. Ha! would a madman have been so wise as this? (Poe 4). The continuous questioning and consideration of what people think shows his mind is occupied by fear of being caught. Additionally, it gives an impression of worrying that people around may realize the crime and start being judgmental. While this is the case, Poe maintains a consistent tone, employing several allusions to emphasize his point of view. He uses phrases such as It grew louderlouderlouder! to paint a picture of the growing fear in the protagonists heart (Poe 8). Overall, the heightened awareness of the narrator of the external environment demonstrates fear and unrest.

The sound of the old mans heart can be interpreted as a metaphor for the narrators fear. In this interpretation, the narrator finally accepts his guilt because he cannot bear the weight of his sorrow (Poe 3). The narrator mentions that the heartbeat was growing louder as he continued to tell the story to the police officers (Poe 8). Consequently, most of the sounds he heard were from his mind and not external sources. While he cleaned the crime scene and gave a convincing story, each question brought him closer to giving up on his plan. These emotions made him rush into a decision to confess, worried the police would also hear the heartbeat of the dead man and realize he was lying. Generally, the narrator allowed fear and guilt in his heart and troubled his mind to the point of confession.

The narrator displays fear in his patience to kill the old man and in his execution of the crime. The narrator had waited for a long time, looking for the most appropriate time to commit the crime (Poe 5). Initially, the narrator attempts to distance himself from the crime by claiming he is a victim of an unknown power (Poe 7). The narrator makes no mention of regretting killing the old man. Instead, he claims that he is not insane and that the old mans vision is to blame (Poe 4). Furthermore, the narrator opens for the police officer with some fear I went down to open it with a light heart, for what had I now to fear? (Poe 7). The question implies he was fearful initially, especially when the crime scene was not yet cleaned. The building up of fear troubled the narrator to the point of regretting executing a plan made over a long period.

Another interpretation of the story is that the narrator murdered the elderly man because he was afraid of dying. His vulture eye and the old mans frail appearance indicate that he is fascinated by the mans age and frailty. The narrator thought there were death beetles in the walls and seemed preoccupied with time (Poe 5). He loses track of time and becomes disoriented after murdering the old man and begins to exhibit symptoms of illness. He feels weak, and when the cops arrive at his house, he can hear his heart racing. The narrators heart may be fluttering because he, like the old man, is beginning to worry about his mortality.

Conclusion

Poes short story The Tell-Tale Heart shows different manifestations of fear and guilt. The protagonist, who remains unnamed throughout the story, narrates the events through imagery, symbols, and several themes to paint a picture for the reader. These literary devices give the plot the necessary cohesion and keep the story interesting while exposing the fear and guilty conscience of the narrator. The narrators extreme worry and transformation are evident throughout the narration. He starts with confidence, with a clear plan for committing the crime and cleaning the crime scene. The fear and inner stresses increase as he talks to the police and confesses. Fear is manifested through his patience for the right time to commit the crime, his defense for his sanity, and audible increasing heartbeats. The story is horrifying and interesting at the same time, showing that fear can manifest in different forms and lead to unstable psychological well-being.