Poe, The Narrator and Literary Criticism in Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart

Edgar Allen Poe has explored three different themes: His own life, the nameless narrator of “The Tell-Tale Heart”, and the literary criticism on “The Tell-Tale Heart.” The Tell-Tale Heart, is a story, although, not revealed, about father-son incest (Kachur). Throughout the story, the old man was the “eye”, or “vulture’s eye” as the narrator calls it. The “eye” is what kept the narrator unnerved, and was the main reason that drove him to kill the man (Madi and Shadi). In the beginning of the story, the narrator said, “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! 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; and so by degrees—very gradually—I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever” (Poe). That could also be a sign of the incest that is implied in the story. What that passage is saying is, the narrator loved the old man, but a small part of him always unnerved him. His eye, which he believed resembled a vulture’s eye, always kept him on edge, and frightened him. It was then he made up his mind to take the man’s life (Poe). Throughout the story, you would believe the narrator to be mad, or insane. A passage The narrator thought to himself, “Now this is the point. 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 him. And every night, about midnight, I turned the latch of his door and opened it...

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... Ray That Fell upon the Vulture Eye': systemic grammar and its use in Edgar A. Poe's 'The Tell-Tale Heart." Studies in Literature and Language 6.3 (2013): 28+. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 15 Jan. 2014.

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