Comparing The Tell-Tale Heart And A & P

The two stories, “The Tell Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe and “A&P” by John Updike have some similar attributes and differences in the narration of their stories. The Tell-Tale Heart is narrated by an unnamed character while A&P has a narrator and character named Sammy. Both the people talking in the stories have difference and similarities in how they talk to the reader often skewing their perspective. The main characters of both the stories are not convincing in telling their stories
Both the stories had same type of narration which was a first person view.“I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthy- how calmly, I can tell you the whole story” (

Poe 41 ). As narrator tries to tell a story, giving a note that he hears sounds of hell and heaven; also wants readers to know he is going to tell and calmly and certainly asking a redundant question that is he mad. In A&P Sammy say “She had on a kind of dirty-pink- beige maybe, I don’t know-bathing suit with little nubble all over it and, what got me, the straps were down” ( Updike 19 ). Sammy is describing his own point of view on one of the three girls who just entered the store with bathing suit on. Even though story is have first person narration they have different setting and tone.When trying to solve the problem arose in the stories both have different option. In Tell-Tale Heart old man is killed as an resolution while in A&P as an abjection the action from the store manager Sammy quits his job as a cashier. As in Tell tale heart “ The old man was dead” (Poe 43). In A&P Sammy says “‘I said I quit’” ( Updike 23).
Both the narrator have been successful in skewing their reader's perspective.

Murder from the Tale Tell Heart tell that he is not mad at first and then as the story makes shape murder, says “ I think it was his eye! yes, it was this! One of his eyes resembled that of a vulture - a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold” ( Poe 41). At the commencement of the story and narration, narrator acknowledges that he is not mad but soon he complains about the old man’s eye which made murderer very annoyed and wanting to kill the old man.Murderer aims to demonstrate a mental soundness of himself seeming to believe must present within him since he has been able to enact a complicated murder with a diligent eye for detail. Whereas in the story by John Updike, A&P, the narrator, Sammy, is one of the characters of the story. Sammy says, “In walks three girls in nothing but bathing suits” (Updike 19 ). towards the beginning of the story Sammy describes the three girls who enters the drug store.He also said, “She had on a kind of dirty-pink- beige maybe, I don’t know-bathing suit with little nubble all over it and, what got me, the straps were down” ( Updike 19 ). Sammy reports the clothing each girl is wearing which also gives helps reader to better know Sammy. As Sammy is a Nineteen year old he attracted and excited about seeing those girls at A&P in bathing suit. At the end due to the Lengel, store manager, taunting those girls which makes Sammy

mad and makes a quick decision of quitting his job by saying “ I said I quit” and “ You didn’t have to embarrass them” ( Updike 23 ). At this point reader gets to see a mature Sammy which is standing up in what he believing which is not common among teens.
Both narrators are not convincing. As in The Tell Tale Heart, narrator says, “The old man was dead. I removed the bed and examined the corpse. Yes, he was stone dead” ( Poe 43). And at the end murder admits “‘ I admit the deed!-tear up the planks!- here, here!- it is the beating of his hideous heart! ’” ( Poe 45 ). The main character examines the geriatric man's corpse exhaustively. Murderer is convinced and, in turn convinces the reader, that the geriatric man is stone dead. Yet murderer will later act under the credence that the geriatric man's heart still beats. Once again reader was given the examples that this narrator is not a reliable source; he is a murder at the end. While Sammy has shown his maturity in a hope of being attracted to Queenie; as he describes Queenie as being the leader of the three girls. “ I look around for my girls, but they’s gone, of course” ( Updike 23). Sammy gives a fake personality of himself being mature as he at the end regrets of not have girl friend and a job.
In conclusion, we have concluded that Updike and Allan Poe have different view point of writing stories but their stories are more alike. Both stories have point of view that skews reader's perspective by not giving enough information about what is going in the story.