(no subject)
The Deception
“The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe, reveals the story of a disturbed man who cares for an older man. The older man has a grotesque pale blue eye with a thin film which the disturbed man refers to as a vulture’s eye. The film sporadically lands on the disturbed man making him shiver in repulsion. The man is so perturbed by the grotesque eye that he makes a drastic decision. The disturbed man kills the old man, butchers the body and meticulously hides the remains. Two officers arrive at the scene and are quickly convinced that no crime has been committed. At first the disturbed man is calm. However, while speaking to the officers, he begins to hear the noise of a beating heart in his head which becomes progressively louder. Eventually the thunderous noise forces the disturbed man to reveal that the old man’s heart lies beneath the planks.
Great works of literature have the power to teach the audience a life lesson or give insight into worlds unimaginable. In some stories those lessons become the central idea or theme of the story. An author can employ different writing elements to reveal the theme of a story. For example, in the “Tell-Tale Heart”, Poe uses point of view and characterization to teach the reader that people can never run from a guilty conscious.
Poe uses first-person narrator point of view in order to reveal the theme of the story. The fact that the story is told from the disturbed man’s personal point of view allows the reader to enter his mind. The reader slowly begins to feel like they are perpetuating the actions especially when the disturbed man refers to himself in first person. The readers feel like the noises have entered their mind and they are the ones plotting to kill the old man but more importantly they feel overwhelmed by the guilt of killing an innocent man. As the disturbed man states, “My head ached, and I fancied a ringing a in my ears…until at length, I found that the noise was not within my ears” (Poe 6). The reader feels like they are disturbed, afflicted by the noises, and start to feel the guilty conscious take its toll on the disturbed man.
Another writing technique Poe utilizes to reveal the theme of the story is characterization. The fact that the characters are nameless suggests that Poe wants the reader to understand that anyone is subject to the tortures of a guilty conscious. The reader focuses on the character’s description rather then on names making it easier to relate to how anyone can feel the burden of an uneasy conscious. As the disturbed man explains, “For his gold I had no desire. I think it was his eye! Yes, it was this! He had the eye of a vulture…I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever” (3). Since the characters do not have names the readers focus on the motives of the disturbed man and how he quickly develops his plan. By omitting names, Poe, makes the reader focus on how his guilt overwhelmed his senses and how the audience might also be put in such predicaments. As a result, the audience can relate to his struggle instead of seeing him as an intangible, fictional character.
Another way in which Poe uses characterization in order to state his theme is through the disturbed man’s dialogue. He constantly states that the audience might wrongfully accuse him of being crazy. As he clearly denounces, “True!-nervous-very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad?” (3). He repeats his suspicion that the readers might consider his sanity when he states, “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” (5). The disturbed man has a guilty conscious and its driving him to insanity. However, he tries to dissuade the reader from judging him as a mad man by constantly repeating that he is not crazy. In this sense he tries to justify his actions and his guilty conscious.
Poe subtly allows the reader to realize that a person’s conscious will always hunt them and that nothing can relieve the pain. Through out the story the disturbed man struggles to make the audience believe that there is any justification in his actions. He finds himself constantly having to convince the reader that he is not crazy. His guilty conscious affects his senses which lead to his admittance in the killing of the old man. Poe teaches the reader that one may fool others but one may never fool oneself. The disturbed man was able to fool the police; however, he was unable to trick his mind. Although the reader may dismiss the central idea of the story after some examination the reader is able to understand the idea that Poe is trying convey. He uses strategic writing tools such as point of view and characterization to state his theme. By analyzing the writing elements the audience realizes that Poe is trying to teach them a valuable lesson about the effects a guilty conscious can have on humans.
Works Cited
Poe, Edgar Allan. “The Tell-Tale Heart”. Ann Arbor: Borders Classics , 2004.
“The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe, reveals the story of a disturbed man who cares for an older man. The older man has a grotesque pale blue eye with a thin film which the disturbed man refers to as a vulture’s eye. The film sporadically lands on the disturbed man making him shiver in repulsion. The man is so perturbed by the grotesque eye that he makes a drastic decision. The disturbed man kills the old man, butchers the body and meticulously hides the remains. Two officers arrive at the scene and are quickly convinced that no crime has been committed. At first the disturbed man is calm. However, while speaking to the officers, he begins to hear the noise of a beating heart in his head which becomes progressively louder. Eventually the thunderous noise forces the disturbed man to reveal that the old man’s heart lies beneath the planks.
Great works of literature have the power to teach the audience a life lesson or give insight into worlds unimaginable. In some stories those lessons become the central idea or theme of the story. An author can employ different writing elements to reveal the theme of a story. For example, in the “Tell-Tale Heart”, Poe uses point of view and characterization to teach the reader that people can never run from a guilty conscious.
Poe uses first-person narrator point of view in order to reveal the theme of the story. The fact that the story is told from the disturbed man’s personal point of view allows the reader to enter his mind. The reader slowly begins to feel like they are perpetuating the actions especially when the disturbed man refers to himself in first person. The readers feel like the noises have entered their mind and they are the ones plotting to kill the old man but more importantly they feel overwhelmed by the guilt of killing an innocent man. As the disturbed man states, “My head ached, and I fancied a ringing a in my ears…until at length, I found that the noise was not within my ears” (Poe 6). The reader feels like they are disturbed, afflicted by the noises, and start to feel the guilty conscious take its toll on the disturbed man.
Another writing technique Poe utilizes to reveal the theme of the story is characterization. The fact that the characters are nameless suggests that Poe wants the reader to understand that anyone is subject to the tortures of a guilty conscious. The reader focuses on the character’s description rather then on names making it easier to relate to how anyone can feel the burden of an uneasy conscious. As the disturbed man explains, “For his gold I had no desire. I think it was his eye! Yes, it was this! He had the eye of a vulture…I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever” (3). Since the characters do not have names the readers focus on the motives of the disturbed man and how he quickly develops his plan. By omitting names, Poe, makes the reader focus on how his guilt overwhelmed his senses and how the audience might also be put in such predicaments. As a result, the audience can relate to his struggle instead of seeing him as an intangible, fictional character.
Another way in which Poe uses characterization in order to state his theme is through the disturbed man’s dialogue. He constantly states that the audience might wrongfully accuse him of being crazy. As he clearly denounces, “True!-nervous-very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad?” (3). He repeats his suspicion that the readers might consider his sanity when he states, “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” (5). The disturbed man has a guilty conscious and its driving him to insanity. However, he tries to dissuade the reader from judging him as a mad man by constantly repeating that he is not crazy. In this sense he tries to justify his actions and his guilty conscious.
Poe subtly allows the reader to realize that a person’s conscious will always hunt them and that nothing can relieve the pain. Through out the story the disturbed man struggles to make the audience believe that there is any justification in his actions. He finds himself constantly having to convince the reader that he is not crazy. His guilty conscious affects his senses which lead to his admittance in the killing of the old man. Poe teaches the reader that one may fool others but one may never fool oneself. The disturbed man was able to fool the police; however, he was unable to trick his mind. Although the reader may dismiss the central idea of the story after some examination the reader is able to understand the idea that Poe is trying convey. He uses strategic writing tools such as point of view and characterization to state his theme. By analyzing the writing elements the audience realizes that Poe is trying to teach them a valuable lesson about the effects a guilty conscious can have on humans.
Works Cited
Poe, Edgar Allan. “The Tell-Tale Heart”. Ann Arbor: Borders Classics , 2004.