“The Tell-Tale Heart” is a short story written by Edgar Allan Poe. While reading it, I did not see any signs of difficult language or complex structure. One might imply that it is relatively easy to read then. However, this is when the story’s comprehension comes to mind. Psychedelic in its nature, it stroke my mind with the countless thoughts and actions of a mad man, invoking a feeling of anxiety, if not horror.
The tale begins with a protagonist explaining his desire for murder. He could not bear the way an old man looked at him (Allan Poe). In my opinion, the protagonist might possess some extent of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder because I can find no other word than an obsession to describe his state. The evidence for that can be found in the mere way he expresses his thoughts: “I think it was his eye! Yes, it was this!” (Allan Poe). Apart from the old man’s eye, one more thought troubles the protagonist deeply – his sanity. He mentions it repeatedly, every time providing another proof of the contrary or simply stating that an insane man is not capable of what he is (Allan Poe). In addition, he praises himself for what he does and how well he does it, probably trying to justify his actions (Allan Poe). Eventually, the protagonist murders the old man and hides the evidence. Nonetheless, his obsessive nature does not allow him to let go of the thought of murder – it haunts the protagonist as a sound of a still-beating old man’s heart, resembling the story’s title. He proves to be unable to ignore it and thus surrenders in the hands of the police.
As a horror story, “The Tell-Tale Heart” manages to achieve its goal. The feeling of anxiety slowly rises throughout the plot, its gradation conducted by the protagonist’s detailed comments of his actions. If a reader possesses a vivid imagination, which was my case, he would be reasonably likely terrified by the developments. Nevertheless, I think it only compliments the writer’s professionalism – he had to think it through and write it down before we were actually able to explore it.
Works Cited
Allan Poe, Edgar. “The Tell-Tale Heart”. The POE Museum, The Tell-Tale Heart – The Poe Museum.