Introduction
Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart” is an iconic short story about an unnamed protagonist who slowly goes insane. This story pays much attention to symbolism and shows how hyper-concentration can drive a person crazy. The author smoothly highlights the theme of how the main character plans to kill an elderly person, and at the same time, his conscience begins to torment him. To fully understand how important each aspect of the story is, it is necessary to do research by looking at citations as an example.
The Influence of the Beginning of the Story
The opening lines of Edgar Poe’s story “The Tell-Tale Heart” are composed so that they set the general tone for the whole work from the beginning. The story begins without explanation or any introductory paragraph, thus immediately dumping information on the reader directly from the middle of the current story. The narrator conveys Confusion and uncertainty: “True! – nervous – very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad?” (Poe 1).
Thus, the reader does not yet know who is speaking, and the first words are somewhat vague, which creates an unusual atmosphere. The person from whom the story is being told is trying to convince the reader that he is not crazy and that he is just nervous. There is nothing unusual in this, but his actions further suggest otherwise.
The use of repetitive words and incoherent speaking conveys an atmosphere of wariness. Another quote that illustrates the narrator’s insanity is: “It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain; but once conceived it haunted me day and night” (Poe 2). At this point, the narrator admits that he wants to kill the older adult, and this idea completely captures him. This once again proves the irrationality and randomness of the speaker’s thoughts. This quote emphasizes the theme of madness, which was introduced by the author in the first lines and is maintained throughout the text.
The Significance of Symbolism
The author uses symbolism in his work, “The Tell-Tale Heart,” to create an intrusive and oppressive atmosphere. Symbolism is a frequent tool in Edgar Poe’s work; therefore, this aspect should be paid attention to as it reveals the killer’s motives. One example of symbolism in the story is the “pale blue eye” of the old man the narrator wants to kill (Poe 2). Focusing on the eye, the author shows through it the narrator’s obsession with the older man and his murder. Thus, the symbolism that Poe uses helps the reader better immerse himself in the narrator’s thoughts and feel the viscous atmosphere (Hastuti 32).
The story demonstrates the importance of symbolism through the narrator’s words: “I then replaced the boards so cleverly, so cunningly, that no human eye-not even his – could have detected anything wrong” (Poe 3). This quote symbolizes the killer’s guilt and attempts to hide and make amends. The theme of paranoia and guilt runs in a thin line that is hidden with the help of symbolism and connected with the general attuned atmosphere of insanity. Despite the narrator’s insanity, he tries to hide the evidence to avoid being caught, which means he can think logically and understand what he is doing.
Symbolism allows for comparing different events to understand their true meaning for the story and characters. Thus, the heart of the older adult is a symbol of the conscience that torments the protagonist. The narrator hears the old man’s heart beating loudly and describes it as “a low, dull, quick sound, such as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton” (Poe 4).
The protagonist further associates this sound with a clock, symbolizing that time is running out, and he can be caught soon. As the story progresses, the heart beats louder, which may be a sign that the narrator’s anxiety is constantly building up and accumulating in his mind, starting to torment him. In the end, admitting guilt is an attempt to get away from one’s conscience and drown out the symbolic beating of the heart.
This can be seen in the narrator’s words: “Villains!” I shrieked, “Dissemble no more! I admit the deed! -tear up the planks! -here, here! -it is the beating of his hideous heart!” (Poe 6). This exclamation demonstrates the desire of the narrator to get rid of paranoia and guilt through confession (Beroual and Beroual 23). Thus, the quote continues the theme of using symbolism in a double sense to convey the character’s state. It can be said that double meanings in Poe’s story play an important role in revealing the main motives.
History of Hyperfixation
The protagonist’s obsession with the eyes of an old man is an essential aspect of the story. Fixation on the eyes occurs throughout the text and intensifies with each memory. The protagonist’s obsession can be seen through the lines: “I think it was his eye! yes, it was this! He had the eye of a vulture a pale blue eye, with a film over it” (Poe 1). Comparing the eye to a vulture’s eye shows that the older adult has excellent eyesight, like a bird of prey. Thus, the protagonist’s obsession with this eye shows his distorted perception of reality and envy of the older adult (Michael 681).
In the end, the protagonist’s obsession leads him to the idea that the eye must be destroyed. The narrator says, “I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever” (Poe 2). These words represent the obsession with the eye and the period of mania when the protagonist realizes that he must get rid of the eye. The connection of these words with their meaning for the plot as a critical element in the narrative represents a turning point when the narrator decides to commit a crime. Thus, the narrator’s obsession with the eye is a vital driving force in the story.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is essential to note that Edgar Allan Poe wrote this work to convey the maximum anxiety that builds up when the protagonist focuses on the pale blue eye. The story does not change its forks, leading the reader steadily from the beginning moment when this image captures the narrator until the moment of the murder. Thus, a certain period of mania is shown that does not allow the narrator to live normally and not focus his thoughts on stopping the tracking of his eye.
This leads to a repeated deterioration in the protagonist’s state of mind and the commission of a crime. The work’s symbolism allows one to fully appreciate the difficulty of the narrator’s state and his doubts about what he is doing. Ultimately, we can say that in the story, with the help of images, the general state of madness and anxiety is perfectly conveyed.
Works Cited
Beroual, Maroua, and Safa Beroual. “Personification of Death AS a Character in The Tell Tale Heart By Edgar Allan Poe”. Dissertation, Université Kasdi Merbah-Ouargla. 2021. Web.
Hastuti, Fransiska Dewi. “The Antagonist Character’s Conflicted Traits in Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart.” Bless 3.1. 2023, 28-34. Web.
Michael, Jinto. “Illustrating Violence, Mystery and Desolation: Comparing Poe’s Storytelling and Hinds’ Rendering of “The Tell-Tale Heart”.” Web.
Poe, Edgar Allan. The Tell-Tale Heart. Penguin Classics. 2015.