The Tell-Tale Heart Symbolism

“Everyone/Thinks that we’re perfect/Please don’t let them see through the curtains.” These may just be song lyrics from Melanie Martinez’s song “Dollhouse”, but they speak of a conglomeration of ideas. They represent the fact that many people have internal conflicts, and that not all people with minds that are socially or medically considered “functioning” can act in a normal way. The narrator in “The Tell Tale Heart”, a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, is a suitable example of one of those people. In the story, the narrator has a disease that brings him to fear the old man (his neighbor) to the point that he feels the only solution is to murder him. He attempts to convince both himself and the reader that he is not mad, as he classifies madness

as having weak and dull senses. He does this over the course of the story, as he also has an internal battle with his mind. Throughout this battle, he still believes he has exceptionally sharp senses and a strong mind, and even believes that he can kill the old man without being caught. The narrator ends up killing him, as he fears the old man’s “Evil Eye”, a cataract-ridden eyeball, which the narrator suspects to have malicious intentions and abilities. The police then arrive, when the narrator still has a calm demeanor, and convinces the police he did nothing wrong. However, in the end, his heart begins to palpitate from guilt, which he presumes to be the beating of the old man’s heart, even though the old man is dead. This drives him, if possible, to further insanity, and causes him to confess his terrible deeds to the police. These events show that a big theme in this short story is that “the hardest battle is the one inside your mind”, and symbols such as the “Evil Eye”, the narrator’s disease, and the narrator’s beating heart help support this.
First of all, the narrator’s “Evil Eye” symbolizes fear.

On page one, the text says “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 for ever.” The narrator’s apparent unease about the old man’s eye supports the idea that this eye represents fear, as the phrase “my blood ran cold” is an idiom used to describe somebody when they are frightened. So, by Edgar Allan Poe using this literary device, the reader can definitely see how the “Evil Eye” represents fright. Also on page 1, the text states “... I found the eye always closed, and so it was impossible to do the work, for it was not the old man who vexed me but his Evil Eye.” Primarily, by calling this eye the “Evil Eye”, it shows the narrator already considered the eye to be bad without really completely knowing it. When people think of evil, they usually associate it with fear. So, by him calling the eye what he does, it shows that he dreads it. Lastly, on page two, the text says “It was open, wide, wide open, and I grew furious as I gazed upon it. I saw it with perfect distinctness -- all a dull blue with a hideous veil over it that chilled the very marrow in my bones, but I could see nothing else of the old man’s face or person, for I had directed the ray as if by instinct precisely upon the damned spot.” Words such as

“hideous”, “furious”, “dull”, and “damned” all have negative connotations, showing that the way he views the eye is an unpleasant one. Also, by saying that it “chilled the very marrow in my bones”, it expresses just how much the narrator is petrified by the eye. Lyrics in the song “Whisper” by Evanescence represent this situation very well. They are: “I'm frightened/ By what I see/ But somehow I know/ That there's much more to come/ .../ I can stop the pain/If I will it all away”. In this short story, the narrator is alarmed by the eye, and feels that if he doesn’t do something about it, much scarier things will come. He then wills that it be gone, and ends up killing the old man. So, this situation directly connects with those lyrics, and it is very apparent that the narrator fears the “Evil Eye”, and the “Evil Eye” symbolizes fear.
Secondly, the narrator’s disease represents misinterpretation.

On page one, the text states “Nervous, very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why WILL you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses, not destroyed, and not dulled them.” Here, the narrator seems to be very defensive about his condition. This shows that he has been questioned and confronted about his disease before in the past, and feels the need to explain what his disease actually is to everyone. Other peoples’ interpretations are obviously different than his, as he classifies mad a whole different way than many others might. This is shown again when he says on page one that “I heard all things in heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell” (2) and “And now have I not told you that what you mistake for madness is but over-acuteness of the sense?” (2). So, once again, he is showing that being mad has to do with dull senses, not anything else that others, and that other people interpreted it wrong. Other quotes really hit home that the disease represents misinterpretation such as “If you still think me mad, you will so no longer when I describe the wise precautions I took for the concealment of the body” (3) and “Would I madman have been so wise as this?” (1). All of this challenging towards the reader reinforces what was previously stated in this paragraph, and definitely shows that there are difference in opinions between the narrator and others. A song quote that really

supports this idea is from the song “Mad Hatter” by Melanie Martinez, and is: “Tell you a secret/ I'm not alarmed/ So what if I'm crazy?/ The best people are”. These lyrics are all about misinterpretation, and shows that while others may view craziness as a negative, they see it as a positive. This relates to the fact that the narrator’s disease represents misinterpretation as while he sees his disease as a good thing (saying it sharpened his senses and so-forth), others see it as a bad thing. Overall, the reader can see that the narrator’s disease represents misinterpretation.
Finally, the narrator’s heart depicts guilt. On page 3, the text states “The officers were satisfied. My MANNER had convinced them. I was singularly at ease… But ere long, I felt myself getting pale and wished them gone.” This change of extreme calm and not minding the officers to becoming pale and wishing them gone shows how guilt is finally getting to him. Many signs of guilt are pacing, shivering/shaking, getting frustrated, wanting to be alone, losing air, and becoming pale/disoriented. Here, two of those six signs are shown. “Everybody’s Fool” by Evanescence and “Sippy Cup” by Melanie Martinez both relate to this situation, with the lyrics being: “Without the mask /Where will you hide?/ Can't find yourself/ Lost in your lie/I know the truth now/ I know who you are” and “Kids are still depressed when you dress them up/ Syrup is still syrup in a sippy cup”. Both sets of lyrics show that even though one can try to hide what they are feeling or pretending to be something/someone else, their true self and feelings will eventually show, just like the narrator’s guilt finally began to show and he couldn’t pretend to be calm and innocent anymore. Anyway, more of those six signs appear, with the text on page 3 stating “I gasped for breath-- and yet the officers heard it not”, “Why would they not be gone? I paced the floor to and fro with heavy strides, as if excited to fury by the observation of the men”, and “Oh God! what could I do? I foamed—I raved—I swore!” These show three others signs; pacing, frustration, and losing air. A song that can be connected with these signs of guilt is “Control” by Halsey, with the lyrics being: “I paced around/ for hours on empty/ I jumped at the slightest of sounds/ And I couldn't stand /the person inside me/ I turned all the mirrors around”. These lyrics show the signs of pacing and being frustrated, and also shows that she was so guilty and unhappy with herself she couldn’t physically or figuratively look at herself. But to move forward, the narrator’s heart definitely relates to this guilt. Of course, the reason he is this guilty is because he killed the old man. This causes his heart to race, but however, he believes this to be the beating of the dead old man’s heart. Because he thinks this is the old man’s heart, he becomes guilty over his deed. The text says “The ringing became more distinct:—it continued and became more distinct: I talked more freely to get rid of the feeling: but it continued and gained definitiveness—until, at length, I found that the noise was not within my ears” (3) and “It was a low, dull, quick sound—much such a sound as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton” (3). So it is clean to see that the noise of his own heart is what causes guilt to be instilled upon him, which in turn caused his to show all of those signs of guilt. When one’s heart is beating fast when they aren’t engaging in physical activity, it is usually because of guilt, as the narrator shows here. And in the end, this causes the narrator to confess his crime to the officers, with the text saying ““Villains!” I shrieked, “dissemble no more! I admit the deed!—tear up the planks!—here, here!—it is the beating of his hideous heart!” (4). So, the narrator’s heart represents guilt.
Although all of these symbols represent different things, they all contribute to one common theme- “the hardest battle is the one inside your mind.” This is because one’s mind and mental health is affected by a variety of different variables. One’s levels of guilt, fear, and possession of a disease can all contribute to how they and their mind function on a daily basis. Firstly, according to “Pschologistanywhereanytime.com”, “[Guilt] gives rise to a feeling that does not go away easily, driven by conscience. It is often associated with depression, anxiety, stress, and other mental health related problems” (Guilt; Understanding Guilt). As this tells us, guilt can definitely contribute to the emotions and way we live our daily day to day life. Secondly, according to “Mentalhealth.org.uk”, “In some cases [fear] can take over our lives, affecting appetite, sleep and concentration for long periods of time. Fear stops us travelling, going to work or school, or even leaving the house. It prevents us from doing simple things and impacts on our health too” (Fear; How does fear affect us?). So, fear is definitely another factor that can ruin a time period in our life or our entire life. Finally, due to the narrator hearing and thinking about things that are nonexistent, it can be inferred that he has schizophrenia. As stated in “Webmd.com”, “Schizophrenia is a serious brain disorder that distorts the way a person thinks, acts, expresses emotions, perceives reality, and relates to others. People with schizophrenia -- the most chronic and disabling of the major mental illnesses -- often have problems functioning in society, at work, at school, and in relationships. Schizophrenia can leave its sufferer frightened and withdrawn. It is a life-long disease that cannot be cured but can be controlled with proper treatment… Contrary to popular belief, schizophrenia is not a split or multiple personality. Schizophrenia is a psychosis, a type of mental illness in which a person cannot tell what is real from what is imagined.” (Schizophrenia; Schizophrenia, An Overview). From this, we can all see how mental/psychotic disorders and mental illnesses can play big roles in peoples’ (such as the narrator) lives, and how certain diseases such as schizophrenia can be misinterpreted and misunderstood. Using all of this information, we can fully understand how the symbols of the “Evil Eye” (which represents fear), the narrator’s disease (which represents misinterpretation), and the narrator’s heart (which represents guilt) all contribute to the story’s theme that the “hardest battle is the one inside your mind”.
So, as one can see, the “Evil Eye” represents fear, the narrator’s disease represents misinterpretation, and the narrator’s heart represents guilt. All of these symbols contribute to the theme that “the hardest battle is the one inside your mind”. As an anonymous Pinterest user once posted, “... nothing is more terrifying than battling with your own mind every single day.”