The Tell-Tale Heart

A detailed Summary of The Tell-Tale Heart

Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Tell-Tale Heart" consists of a monologue in

which the murderer of an old man protests his insanity rather than his guilt: "You fancy

me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me. You should have seen

how wisely I proceeded..."By the narrator insisting so emphatically that he is sane, the

reader is assured that he is indeed deranged. By using this irony the narrator creates a

feeling of hysteria, and the turmoil resulting from this hysteria is what makes the "The

Tell-Tale Heart" so interesting and unique. The true focus of the tale ,however, is the

Various information derives from the short story that reveals many different aspects

concerning the main character's personality and psychological state.

In the first line of the story the killer tells us that the murder has changed nothing

as to his mental state: "dreadfully nervous I had been and am". He also insists that he

is not mad, but perfectly sane. And being very persistent he sets out to prove his sanity

by explaining to us how he planed and executed the perfect murder. However, the

reader soon realises that the fear of the vulture eye has consumed the narrator, who

security in it. As a result, the narrator is left with no resource other than to confess his

Another situation that the narrator finds himself in is a severe case of conflict. He

not always win out over emotion.

A most interesting part of this story is the killer's motivation for murdering the old

and the terrors for the narrator yet to come.

encourages them to search around the house, but he also takes them into the old

Approximate Word count = 2000
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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