Symbolism In The Tell Tale Heart

Words: 666
Pages: 3
Open Document
Symbolism in “Tell-Tale Heart”
What is symbolism? Symbolism is the use of symbols to represent ideas in a story. It is known that the famous American writer Edgar Allen Poe has a great deal of symbolic interpretations in his stories. Symbols help the reader understand the main themes and ideas of the story. In the short story The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe, the author uses various symbols to describe his unreliable narrator.
The Eye in “The Tell-Tale Heart” symbolizes the part of the narrator’s identity that he refuses to accept about himself. Eyes are viewed as a window to the inside of a person, and revealing a side of one’s personality that may be hidden. It is the narrators’ belief that the eye represents a part of the old …show more content…
Throughout the story the narrator presents himself as a madman, an animal, and void of any emotions. “You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me.” (par. 2). He takes pride in lacking the ability to show sympathy, and bragging about committing the perfect murder. However, the audience can see human senses in him when he begins to feel guilty about what he has done. “No doubt I now grew very pale; --but I talked more fluently, and with a heightened voice. Yet the sound increased --and what could I do?” (par. 17). He begins hearing the faint heartbeat of the dead man’s heart, growing louder and louder until he cannot bear the guilt of his deed. After all the reader can begin to observe a conscience in the narrator which is the only time he is proven to have any kind of morals. In conclusion, it is necessary to point out that Edgar Allen Poe is a master of horror stories that feature symbolism. “The Tell-Tale Heart” is an excellent example of the author’s use of symbolism. Such symbols as the eye, the lantern, and the beating heart help the reader understand of the narrator’s feelings, ideas, and his emotional stress at the climax of the
Show More

Related Documents: Symbolism In The Tell Tale Heart

The Tell-Tale Heart Symbolism

Allen Poe fashion, the story of the “Tell- Tale Heart” is told in a dark and twisted manner. Also, the story is full of death and misery, yet it is still beautifully written. This is due to the use of a literary devices such as imagery. As a result, the story can enact a chilling affect upon the reader. However, imagery is not the only literary device that Poe uses in the “Tell- Tale Heart.” Edgar Allan Poe uses symbolism throughout his story “The Tell-Tale Heart,” to convey a deeper message within…

Words 778 - Pages 4

Tell Tale Heart Symbolism

In “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “Masque of Red Death” symbolism of the characters fear, that turns into their obsessions. In “The Tell-Tale Heart” it uses symbolism in the eye of the old man. The eye of the old man represented his judgement towards the narrator. “One of his eyes resembled that of a vulture-- a pale blue eye, with film over…

Words 1493 - Pages 6

The Tell-Tale Heart Symbolism

What could drive someone far enough from sanity to make them kill another innocent human being? In “The Tell-Tale Heart” Edgar Allan Poe’s narrator is driven to the dark corners of derangement, and kills another man. Edgar uses symbolism, descriptive language, and the first person perspective to help the readers begin to comprehend one’s reason to commit murder. The author uses symbolism to explain why the narrator executed the explementary old man. The narrator hated the man’s eye, because “.…

Words 836 - Pages 4

The Tell Tale Heart Symbolism Essay

Though tales of terror and mystery undoubtedly constitute a great portion of the modern world’s literature, such stories garnered rather little success in the ages directly preceding the current time. Throughout the decades prior to and including the 1800s, mediums of writing that incorporated elements of horror were quite rare, though a notable contributor to this genre, Edgar Allan Poe, published the entirety of his works during the aforementioned period. While he has attained near universal…

Words 1861 - Pages 8

Essay on Edgar Allan Poe has made the narrators in

Edgar Allan Poe has made the narrators’ in “The Tell Tale Heart” and “The Cask of Amontillado” evidently obsessed through out the story in wanting control of others. In “The Tell Tale Heart” the narrator was not obsessed with the old man, but more so “he had the eye of a vulture a pale blue eye, with a film over it” which he despised. There is a similarity between the two characters - one disliking the eye and the other disliking the person. “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best…

Words 520 - Pages 3

The Yellow Wallpaper and the Tell Tale Heart Analysis

Hawkins 1 Deidre Professor Connors English 102-15 March 12, 2011 Narrative Unreliability and Symbolisms in “The Tell -Tale Heart” and “The Yellow Wallpaper” “The Tell -Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe, was released in 1843. It is one of Poe’s shortest stories and provides a look into paranoia and mental deterioration. “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, was released in 1899. This story also provides a look into mental deterioration and had been misinterpreted when it was…

Words 1198 - Pages 5

The Cask Of Amontillado And Tale Tell Heart Similarities

While completing the reading of “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Tale Tell Heart”, these stories have several similarities and differences. Both stories are in the category of dark romanticism which describes the reading as being dark. Edgar Allen Poe is known for dark romanticism as well as his intimidating imagery that he explains to the readers. In both stories, Poe proposes that both narrators are guilty, and because of their guilt it tortures them throughout each story; Poe uses theme to constantly…

Words 371 - Pages 2

The Tell Tale Heart Essay

| The Tell Tale Heart | Edgar Allan Poe | Symbolism in ‘The Tell Tale Heart’ The great writer, Edgar Allan Poe, was born in Boston, Massachusetts on January 19th, 1809 (Giordano). His mother was British and his father was American (Giordano). They both died before Poe was three so he was raised as a foster child by John and Frances Allan in Richmond, Virginia. Poe had a very hard childhood growing up and, one can say, that much of his work is symbolic of his life and his take on life. One…

Words 909 - Pages 4

Seeing the Heart Through the Eye Essay

Symbolism is important to any literary work. It provides meaning to the writing beyond what is actually being stated. Symbolism in a literary work develops theme and characters while transcending the work to another level. In Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “Tell Tale Heart”, symbolism plays a crucial role in the plot of the story as well as the development of characters. The heart and the eye serve as the most significant symbols in this work and Poe uses them throughout the course of the story to…

Words 792 - Pages 4

Essay about The Monkey

The Monkey's Paw and Tell Tale Heart Cameron Smith The most frightening thing in the world... Death. The Monkey's Paw and Tell Tale Heart are both horror stories and leave the reader in shock and deep thought. These two stories seem to have opposite ideas but further analysis provides proof of their similarities. Something that threw itself at the reader in both stories, they wanted to extinguish themselves of the evil presented. In The Monkey's paw, the sergeant throws the paw into the fire thinking…

Words 421 - Pages 2