In response to questions about his motivation, the narrator comments “ I think it was his eye!” The narrator’s discernible sense of doubt over his own motivation undermines his credibility, and places his account of the murder under closer scrutiny. Even his ostensible motivation for the murder, in this case, fury over the old man’s pale blue, vulture-esque eye, seems hollow and contrived. The narrator’s pretense to sanity, however, is undermined by the passionless and objectless nature of the crime.

The narrator, who suffers from an “acuteness of the senses,” justifies his sanity by illustrating the methodical and systematic efforts he took to execute the murder. To this end, the narrator vividly recalls the events leading up to the eventual murder. Despite openly acknowledging the role he played in carrying out the crime, the narrator seems far more concerned with proving his sanity, rather than his innocence. The “Tell-Tale Heart” begins with an unnamed narrator confessing to the murder of an elderly neighbor. panic attacks – losing control in front of the policemen at the very end of the story.The Tell-Tale Heart,” like Poe’s other works, is concerned with understanding the emotion of fear, the psychology of mental illness, and the interaction between mental and bodily processes.self-doubt – trying to justify why he or she isn’t mad and.perfectionism – telling us over and over how carefully he or she planned and carried out the murder.irrational fears – being afraid of the old man’s “evil eye”.difficulty sleeping – sitting up in bed late, listening to deathwatch beetles in the wall.Nevertheless, his protagonist exhibits five characteristics recognized today as being common among people suffering from GAD. I can’t see any indication of psychological studies in Poe’s biography. It is known today as “Generalized Anxiety Disorder” (GAD) and characterized by uncontrollable and often unnecessary worry about common occurrences and situations.įor me, one of the most interesting aspects of this story is the way that Poe develops the character of the narrator. What Poe is probably talking about here is a medical condition known at the time as “nerves”. This dehumanizes both characters, leaving only the conflict between a crazed mind and whatever is represented by the “evil eye”Īt the very beginning of the story, the narrator tells us that he or she has always been very nervous and that this disease had improved his or her senses. He or she could be a friend, relative (perhaps even a child) or care-giver. It is interesting that Poe did not identify the narrator, either by gender or in terms of his or her relationship with the old man.

The tell tale heart full text