Tell Tale Heart

4 Pages 912 Words

Critical Analysis on Poe’s The Tell Tale Heart


The Tell Tale Heart looks in depth at the actions taken by a mad man and the reasons behind them. The narrator has grown disgusted by the old man’s cataract eye and decides that he must get rid of it in order to live in harmony. However, there is another major conflict in the story questioning the man’s sanity. By claiming more than once in the story why he isn’t mad, he is basically revealing how sick he really is. In a strange humor, the story describes a man who thinks he’s perfectly fine, while calmly explaining the murder of an old man with a cataract eye.

The biggest conflict in Poe’s short story is simple; the main character is insane. He will not be satisfied until his problem is gone. Unfortunately, this means someone must die. The narrator’s madness is triggered by the old man’s cataract eye. It gradually wore on him until he could tolerate no more. The narrator states that the old man, “had never wronged me.” He claims that he loved the old man yet he made up his mind and decided that he must,” rid myself of the eye forever.” So there it is, the theme of the story right? Perhaps, but what about another conflict ? It seems as if the man is in denial. He doesn’t think that he’s mentally unstable. In fact, the narrator frequently explains why he is not mad. “The disease has simply sharpened my senses…not dulled them.” However he is crazy, and instead of explaining why he isn’t, he just further proved the fact that he is. He gets nervous and excited before telling the story, but he’s perfectly fine in the head. It doesn’t quite make sense to those who are actually sane. After describing the steps he took for the murder, the man once again claims he is not insane. “If you still think me mad, you will think so no longer when I describe the wise precautions I took for the concealment of the body.” To a normal person it seems more l...