The Tell-Tale Heart By Edgar Allan Poe- Summary and Analysis

 The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe- Summary and Analysis

Edgar Allen Poe is one of the greatest names in American literature. Renowned as a poet, short writer, playwright and novelist, his name has become synonymous with writings on the macabre and the grotesque. Poe was born on 19 January 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts to actors Elizabeth and David Poe. He gained considerable reputation as a critic and an editor. His first collection of short stories, Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque was published in 1839. It contained one of his most famous stories, ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’. Poe’s well-known poem, ‘The Raven’ was published in 1845 and it brought him fame in America and abroad.

Elements of his largely tragic life have made their way into his writing which is typically melancholic and morbid. His works boldly explore aspects of human life that are often hidden. He used his compressed, tightly woven prose style to the utmost effect in stories like “The Cask of Amontillado’ (1846), “The Purloined Letter” (1845) and “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” (1841).

Poe died on 13 October 1849. Poe’s contribution to literature has been acknowledged by critics and he remains popular to this day. He is widely regarded as the father of the American horror story. He is also credited with inventing the modern detective story with a number of stories featuring his fictional detective Dupin.

‘The Tell-Tale Heart’ was published in January 1843 in a magazine called Pioneer. The story, narrated in the first person, recounts an act of murder. The unnamed narrator tells us how he carefully planned and carried out the murder of the old man he lived with.

The unknown narrator in the first person tells us in the beginning that madness had sharpened his senses and his hearing is acute. He could even hear voices from heaven and hell. But he was dreadfully nervous and haunted by an image of an eye of an old man. It was the eye of a vulture, a pale blue eye. The narrator states that he did not have anything against the old man and he loved him. He was also not interested in the money of the old man. But he couldn’t stand the sight of his eye. He considered it to be evil in nature. 

The narrator tells us how meticulously he planned the murder of the old man. In the process he explains that this planning and strategy could not be done by someone who is mad. He informs that every night at 12 o’ clock, he would peep into the room of the old man with an intention to murder him. For seven days he did this routine. He couldn’t do anything because the old man’s eye was closed. He would return annoyingly as it is his “Evil Eye” which motivates him to murder him. Ironically, in the morning he would ask the old man about his health.

The narrator continues his story and on the eighth day of his routine which was the day he murdered the old man he entered his room with much caution. He thought about his wise strategy and laughs at the old man’s lack of awareness. However, the old man sensed something and moved in his bed. The narrator tells us that he did not feel afraid as he knew that the old man cannot see him in the darkness. As he quietly entered the room, the old man heard some noise and asked who was there in the room. The narrator informs us that he did not move an inch for an hour knowing that the old man is awake. Then he hears a frightening cry from the old man sitting alert in his bed. He tells us that the old man knows not of his presence but he can assume his death impending upon him. Afterwards, he gradually shows the lantern light on the old man and realizes that his hateful eye is open. It makes him angry. He does not notice his face but the blue hateful eye that troubles him. The sight of his eye fills him with rage. 

Moreover, as he brags of his expanded hearing sense, he hears the beating of the heart of the old man. He attempts to remain quiet however the beating of the old man’s heart builds his displeasure. The storyteller becomes restless and can't bear the sound any longer. The storyteller takes the help of the bed and holds it immovably "over his head". The elderly person, gradually and steadily, suffocates and his pulse stops. The storyteller takes a murmur of relief realizing that his eye will never trouble him again. He again challenges the individuals who question his mental soundness and tells them to know that they ought to consider how he concealed the dead body so as nobody can track down it. He dissects each part of the dead body cautiously. Then, at that point, he removes the planks from the floor and conceals the pieces there ensuring nothing remains behind. A while later, he puts the boards down once more, with incredible consideration, with the goal that nobody can obtain some proof of his murder. He washed off the stains from the floor.

At the point when he gets done, it was 4 o’ clock in the morning. Somebody thumps at the door. He tranquilly opens the door and understands that three police officers have shown up. They have been called upon by one of the neighbors who heard the yell of the elderly person. They are here to explore the incident. He lets them inside and informs that he was the one who yelled as a result of a bad dream. He accompanies them all around the house and advises them to do their search. He even leads them to the elderly person's room and offers them seats to stay there and rest. He admits that his quiet conduct caused the cops to accept his clarification and they sat there without any suspicion. They talk persistently and sooner or later; the storyteller wishes they should leave. Gradually and slowly, he becomes restless and his serenity disappears. Meanwhile, he hears some sound. From the outset, he believes it to be inside his head however at that point he understands that the sound isn't inward rather it is in the room. He talks louder and tries to cover it up yet it gets stronger with the progression of time. It seems like the sound of a heart beating from under the planks. 

He strolls forward and backward in the room to make some commotion however the sound increases. Notwithstanding, the police officers appear not to hear it and they are occupied with talking and grinning obviously. The storyteller thinks the police officers know and they are snickering at his ineptitude. He says he continually endured their grins and the sound of the heartbeat. In the end, he can't stand it any longer and admits his wrongdoing. He advises the police officers to take away the planks and to track down the ruined body of the elderly person and his beating heart.

In this story, Poe shows us the significance of emotional wellness. The story shows that psychological sickness can drive an individual to the cruelest of actions. Mental issues can lead people to act perilously with practically no intention. The storyteller, in the story, experiences some psychological issues which lead to his annihilation. He continually denies the way that he experiences dysfunctional behavior yet his abnormal activities demonstrate that he experiences some mental issue. He is fixated on killing the elderly person for reasons unknown and notices him for seven progressive evenings. The storyteller, being paranoiac, kills the elderly person out of dread yet that is certifiably not an adequate explanation.

Besides, he additionally rejoices in the second when he chokes out the elderly person, holding the bed firmly over his face. This occasion makes him a sadist; who appreciates causing torment for other people. This occasion likewise shows that he has some mental issues. Through these occasions, Poe exhibits that a person's mental wellbeing is just about as significant as his actual wellbeing. The thumping of the heart happens inside the storyteller himself. It is informed in the start of the story that he is over-delicate. He can hear and feel things that others can't. Toward the end of the story, there is no thumping heart under the boards. Unmistakably, the storyteller, who has quite recently completed the terrible demonstration of eviscerating a dead body, can't adapt to the profoundly inner strength required when the police are looking through the house. These two variables cause his pulse to speed up to the point that his pulse is beating in his ears so noisily that he can't stand the mental tension any more. Consequently, he admits to his terrible deed. The storyteller's heart makes him a convict himself.