An Explication of Edgar Allen Poe's, "The Tell-Tale Heart"
Literature and Advanced Writing 211-09
In Edgar Allen Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart", It would appear that the
speaker has literally gotten away with murder. Mr. Poe cleverly reminds us that
this is an insane man by allowing the speaker to become paranoid in the midst of
feeling confident of the fact that he had fooled the police. In his paranoia he
believes he is hearing a heart beat, and that the police are torturing him because
"No doubt I now grew very pale:-but I talked more fluently, and with a
heightened voice. Yet the sound increased-and what could I do? It was a low,
dull, quick sound-much such a sound as a watch makes when enveloped in
cotton (par 16)." The speaker is getting very nervous and honestly believes he
hears something. Although there is no evidence in the text that the police are
suspicious, his behavior is enough to make anyone suspicious. "I arose and
argued about trifles, in a high key and with violent gesticulations; but the noise
steadily increased. Why would they not be gone?" Words like high key, and
violent gives the reader an idea of how paranoid this man has become. The high
key suggest that the pitch of his voice is changing, and the violent gesticulation
suggests defensiveness all signs of paranoia.
"It grew louder---louder---louder! And still the men chatted pleasantly, and
smiled. Was it possible they heard not? Almighty God!---no, no! They
heard!---they suspected!----they knew!---they were making a mockery of my
horror!--this I thought, and this I think. Again more evidence of paranoia,but here
he questions whether or not the police can this ringing. Then he decides that
they know that he killed the old. The dashes betw
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