According to Henry James, characters are only as interesting as their responses to
particular situations. The character's response in the two short stories I have chosen is the
reason I chose them. In Jack London's "To Build A Fire" and Edgar Allen Poe's "The
Tell-Tale Heart" the character's reaction to each situation leads the reader to read more to
find out what happens next. It is interesting to read a story and not be able to predict
what the character will do in a given situation because it captures the reader's interest and
spurs them on to read more. Along with the suspense, the character's reaction in each
situation in these two stories determines the outcome of the overall story. The character's
response to each relating situation builds on each other, creating a domino effect.
In the "Tell-Tale Heart" the main character is a crazed madman, who is also the
narrator of the story. He begins the story by trying to convince the reader he is not mad,
but nervous, very nervous. He tries to prove he is not mad by how clever he plans out the
murder of the old man he lives with. He decides he wants to murder the old man to rid
himself of the old man's pale blue vulture eye because it sends chills up and down his
You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen
me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded--with what
caution--with what foresight--with what dissimulation I went to work. I
was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed
For eight nights he cleverly snuck into the old man's room with great caution to
not arouse the man. It took him hours to get into the room; he was very patient. Each
night he would go in he would undo the lantern just enough so that a single ray would fall
on the vulture eye. Every time the vulture eye was closed, ...