Critical Analysis

Analysis of The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe

In the popular short story The Tell-Tale Heart , Edgar Allen Poe reveals the horrid theme that each person has a vicious wicked side or a dark side that can provoke the person into committing unthinkable sins for no apparent reason . Poe was an expert in writing thrillers which the psyche of the main character would be challenged . After reading a story by Poe , the reader often asks whether he /she could possibly do such an evil act . The Tell-Tale Heart is a perfect example

of how a person could be driven to commit the most horrendous act of murder for just a simple everyday object

John Greenleaf Whittier first published the short story The Tell Tale Heart in The Pioneer in 1843 . We can assume that the setting of the story is approximately the same time because there is no evidence that it took place in any other time period as many other Poe stories do Poe was going through an immense amount of personal struggle at this time . Virginia , his wife and the love of his life , had just one year earlier broken a blood vessel while singing . This was the tell tale sign of tuberculosis during that time of limited medical technology . He was also suffering from severe financial problems as he did for most of his short life . It was enough to provoke an individual into actions that one would never have thought he would do . He knows that all people , when in an adverse situation , have momentarily thought of some disgusting action to get rid of the situation that is at hand . This was surely the situation with Poe at the time

He wanted so badly to help his young wife and make her life as comfortable as possible , but had limited means to do so . The tuberculosis that lived daily in the house with Poe was like the evil eye of the narrator 's companion . Just as the eye was a part of the companion 's body , tuberculosis was a part of Virginia 's own body . It was staring at the author daily and would even haunt him when he was not with Virginia . The narrator could only be free from the evil eye through the death of its owner and the death of his beloved wife was the only way to rid Poe of the tragic disease that inhabited his house

The story takes place over the span of eight days . This is a relevantly short time when one is looking back at a situation that has occurred but it can seem like an eternity when the person is enduring a negative circumstance . A short amount of time is needed to set up the situation where the narrator can plan and carry out his awful deed of murder . He thinks of his plan in one day and then he spends a week making sure that his strategy is accurate . He tests the waters every night...