Edgar Allen Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart

“The Tell-Tale Heart” is a short story initially published in 1843 and written by American author, Edgar Allen Poe. A more underrated work by the “Master of Macabre”, the story features an unreliable narrator who frantically seeks to persuade the reader of his mental sanity while recounting a brutal murder which he committed. The victim of the horrific crime was an elderly man who was targeted for his eerie, pale blue eyes. After the coldly calculated murder, the narrator dismembers the body and hides the pieces underneath the floorboards of the man’s own home. Eventually, he experiences powerful hallucinations of his victim’s heart beat and is overcome with guilt. Various critical approaches can be applied to this work as it is rich with symbolism,

Thematically, “The Tell-Tale Heart” can be construed as an exploration into the conscience of the human psyche. In order to fully appreciate “The Tell-Tale Heart” to its depth, background information about its author is imperative. Edgar Allen Poe, born in 1809 to a Bostonian family, is widely considered to be both a forefather and trailblazer in the mystery and horror genres. Throughout his career, Poe was a recognized “U.S. American short-story writer, poet, critic, and editor” (Edgar Allen Poe), although he did not enjoy financial success during his lifetime His seeming obsession with the morbid and macabre may be attributed to his tragic childhood. Poe’s mother died when he was merely three years old and his father had already long abandoned the family. Hence, he was separated from his siblings and became the foster ward of John and Frances Allen, a wealthy couple. Poe showed remarkable promise and intelligence from a young age and was thus educated in first-rate schools where he performed well in all subjects. Reportedly, he began writing poetry from the age of thirteen. In 1826, Poe began to attend the University of Virginia but could not graduate due to debt. In 1827, Poe joined the army and

“Poe wrote at a time when the United States was experiencing rapid economical and geographical expansion.” (The Tell-Tale). Economic and cultural progress tends to deal a sweeping blow to traditional morality. Women’s rights, in particular was undergoing drastic transformation, documented by such novels such as “The Awakening”, by Kate Chopin. Being that the eye represents morality (the fact that the eye’s owner is an elderly man adds to the analogy, of course), its destruction represents the “death” of traditionalism. The guilty conscience experienced by the narrator represents the ambivalence of the time period: progress is always welcomed but it brings about uncertainty and unease. Thus, the story can be viewed as an allegory for this time in American