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Examples Of Conflict In Tell Tale Heart

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The conflict in Edgar Allan Poe’s Tell-Tale Heart is man versus himself. In the first lines of the story, the speaker talks directly to the reader where he tries to convince the reader that he is not insane. However, we discover that he is mentally ill as we read more of the story. The character speaks against his purpose of pleading as mentally healthy. Ironically, his own speech convicts him. Therefore, it can be concluded that the narrator is on a mind battle with his own conscience. The narrator's background is a mystery to the reader but his characteristics were evidently presented on his way of narration. All the obsessive details and the whole elaborate plan the man narrated was enough evidence to confirm the reader that he is truly out of his mind. The narrator is obsessive, paranoid, and insane and these characteristics are the problems which led to the conflict. His "too much thinking" attitude was his own protagonist in the story. There is this eye which became the narrator's object of obsession. Whenever he sees the old man, he doesn’t see the old man as a whole but sees the “evil eye”. In …show more content…

In the story, the man has incredible intelligence. However, despite his cleverness, this man doesn't possess a heart. He doesn't have the passionate sense of humanity that would guide him to use his wit in achieving good goals. Instead, what happened was the reverse. The man used his powerful mind as a tool for evilness. So, what the author wants to say is that intelligence is not enough to make up a human being. One must have a heart which directs the head. This story entitled "Tell-Tale Heart" is not only about the beating heart which led the main character to reveal his own doing but the heart also pertains to what is missing from him, a heart. Moreover, the story tells us that our conscience will always hunt us on the evil deeds we performed. Our hearts will always reveal the truth even if we want it or

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