The Tell-Tale Heart

Edgar Allen Poe, The Tell-Tale Heart (1843) *In a collection of his short stories

As a prolific writer of short stories Poe has a significant catalogue of work. The Tell-Tale Heart is perhaps one of the most iconic of these. Not only is it available in a large collection on Project Gutenberg but the Poe Museum also has a collection of his stories and is based in Richmond, Virginia.

First published in 1843 the story concerns the events of a murder at the hands of an unidentified narrator. Events are recalled with a delirium that brings into question the sanity of the narrator even while the narrator endeavors to convince the reader otherwise. The basis for this short story has been debated over time and is certainly not agreed upon with an 1830 murder in Salem, Massachusetts sometimes held as Poe’s inspiration.

If still you think me mad, you will think so no longer when I describe the wise precautions I took for the concealment of the body.

The chaotic nature of the narrator runs at odds to the meticulous description of the murder. While there are sections describing the gradual planning and process they are interspersed with assertions of mental acuity. These assertions from a somewhat deranged perspective make the murder seem less gruesome. The murder no longer takes the prime focus of the story but rather the gradual decline of the narrator under the pressure of guilt.

The motives for action are not presented clearly other than the narrators hatred toward the victims ‘vulture eye’. There is no distaste toward the man killed and the narrator does describe a somewhat close relationship.

Object there was none. Passion there was none. I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire. I think it was his eye!

Analysis of this story tends to point to symbolism behind the ramblings of the narrators but the reader need not over analyse the story to enjoy it. Nevertheless it is very clear that the story leaves considerable space for analysis. Theories presenting the old man as a master of the narrator in some form and the eye being a symbolic image of this power would definitely hold some weight. The narrator largely talks of the eye as being the target of his actions rather than the man, ‘for it was not the old man who vexed me, but his Evil Eye.’ The week long planning and preparation of the murder provides enough time for the narrator to try and convince the reader of the necessity of his actions.

However, it is the arrival of policemen that pivots the story back toward its title. The weight of guilt on the narrator becomes too much but the imagery of still hearing the old mans heart presents a fascinating insight into how the narrator perceives themselves. This might be a short story but the quick descent into insanity driven by guilt is brilliantly written and could easily have been stretched into a full length novel.

To get a better grasp of Poe’s collection the link at the start of this post offers a large number of his shorter works. The Tell-Tale Heart is one of his best known works and the combination of clear, detailed descriptions of the events with the ramblings of the narrators own mind is fascinating.