In the stories “Tell-Tale heart” and “The Cask of Amontillado” both of these writings are dealt with unreliable narrators. Unreliable narrators being someone who can not be trusted, who have given little to any evidence as to explain their actions. Both of these stories are told by narrators who show mental instability from the beginning, and go to extreme measures near the end of the story with little to no information along the way. Both of these stories are told in first person, and are able to see it from their point of view. With having unreliable narrators, it allows the readers to use their imagination regarding the storyline, but also shows rising emotions coming from the narrators. In “Tell-Tale heart,” the style of writing shows the mental deterioration within the narrator. In the beginning of the story the narrators begin by stating that he is nervous not mad. The narrator is trying to prove his sanity from the beginning which is allowing us to think that the narrator has something to hide from the beginning. The narrator stated that the old man has done nothing wrong to him, yet he wants to kill him because of his eye. The narrator cannot remember when the idea of killing the old man came to him, and he never discloses the nature of their relationship. In Ego-Evil and “The Tell-Tale Heart” Magdalen Wing-chi Ki says “The resulting lack of self-knowledge makes Edgar Allan Poe's narrator in "The Tell-Tale Heart" judge the old man based on his own (the narrator's)
Edgar Allen Poe was a great author in the 18th century. He is the author of both The Tell-Tale Heart and The Cask of Amontillado. Both of these stories show the dark and mysterious ways of the narrator. Well, these stories have been written by the same author. Hence, they have some similarities and differences. Poe is a great writer who can describe a scene in one paragraph. The stories have the right tone and a gloomy mood. Edgar Allen Poe being the author of The Tell-Tale Heart and The Cask of Amontillado, he shows some similarities like the mood of the narrators though there is a difference in the characteristics of the narrators. The narrators have similar motives and mental states though their plans of action and the outcomes of their crimes are different.
The narrators in both works prove to be similar in several ways. In “The Tell-Tale Heart” the story is told through a psycho narrator; both stories contain apparent psychological imbalances within their story tellers, “
Poe writes “The Tell Tale Heart” from the perspective of the murderer of the old man. When an author creates a situation where the central character tells his own account, the overall impact of the story is heightened. The narrator, in this story, adds to the overall effect of horror by continually stressing to the reader that he or she is not mad, and tries to convince us of that fact by how carefully this brutal crime was planned and executed. The point of view helps communicate that the theme is madness to the audience because from the beginning the narrator uses repetition, onomatopoeias, similes, hyperboles, metaphors and irony.
In the short story “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe creates the guilty character of an unnamed narrator through indirect characterization. Using the components of actions, dialogue, and motivations, Poe depicts a story about immorality and reveals confidence can cause a person to lose their awareness of a situation.
“True! - nervous - very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad?” (Poe) In “Tell-Tale Heart,” Edgar Allan Poe illustrates that the narrator has an acute need of the old man’s vulture eye and eventually murders the man on the eighth night. The author highlights the events of the murder and soon, the narrator confesses to the police of his guilt. As Edgar Allan Poe fabricates this short story, he enthralls the readers by giving the events specific detail. If Edgar Allan Poe were to ever continue the story where the narrator would be put on trial, he would be guilty of premeditated murder. The reason for this is because the narrator cunningly planned the murder, had a motive of killing the old man, and finally at the end of the short story, he knew from right to wrong.
The two short stories “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Cask of Amontillado” share similar and different characteristics. Both written by Edgar Allen Poe, these stories involve murder, possibly insane narrators, and weak victims. They both also contain the theory of madness and obsession. Although these stories share many similar aspects, they differ in murder justification, murder execution, and final outcome of each situation.
Love is such a strong power that the only way to overcome it is to kill it. Edgar Allan Poe’s emotion twisting stories “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Tell Tale Heart” had many similar, yet different aspects throughout the stories, regarding different topics. One of those being the different motives for killing a person you are close with. Another being that one murderer was caught while the other one wasn’t. Then, finally, the fact that both murders were premeditated. The similarities and differences between the stories all start with the reasons for the murders.
In this particular story, Poe decided to write it in the first person narrative. This technique is used to get inside the main character's head and view his thoughts and are often exciting. The narrator in the Tell-Tale Heart is telling the story on how he killed the old man while pleading his sanity. To quote a phrase
old man or his eye. It may be his phobia of the dark side, and
In “The Tell-Tale Heart,” Edgar Allen Poe depicts a gruesome tale. His use of dark imagery and harsh words make this story an unmistakable product of the Dark Romantic period. Poe’s use of the first person narrator adds an important dimension to the story. The narrator’s thoughts are eating him alive and Poe clearly portrays this to readers by repeating words and having the narrator constantly question himself:
There are many different similarities between the two short stories,“The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Tell-Tale Heart”. Nonetheless,“The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Tell-Tale Heart” are in first person, meaning the characters are taking to the reader and wanting to be on their point of view. For example,“The Cask of Amontillado”, in the beginning, Montresor is talking about himself and “you, who so well know the nature of my soul” (Poe 139). Montressor wants the reader to be on his side, so if he was going to do something, the reader had to think it was the right choice even though he might have been wrong. Montresor wants revenge on Fortunato for insulting him, and has always wanted to be equal with the opponent or higher than them. In addition, “The Tell-Tale Heart” also is in first person and how the reader tells the reader their part of the story. For example, in the story the narrator was telling the reader about himself and who he is, and “observe how healthy how calmly; can tell you the whole story”( Poe 1). Since this is in first person, the readers only could understand it in the point of view that the narrator sees it or tells it. Yet, the readers never know the other side. The narrator wants to tell the reader their story but they want the reader to think their side is the correct side. The two stories both have the main character that is in involved with a murder. Fortunato insulted Montresor and since then he wanted to plan his revenge, he wants him dead
“The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe is a first-person narrative short story that showcases an enigmatic and veiled narrator. The storyteller makes us believe that he is in full control of his mind yet he is experiencing a disease that causes him over sensitivity of the senses. As we go through the story, we can find his fascination in proving his sanity. The narrator lives with an old man, who has a clouded, pale blue, vulture-like eye that makes him so helpless that he kills the old man. He admits that he had no interest or passion in killing the old man, whom he loved. Throughout the story, the narrator directs us towards how he ends up committing a horrifying murder and dissecting the corpse into pieces. The narrator who claims to
Edgar Allan Poe is a prominent writer who wrote many peculiar and uncanny short stories and poems. One of the stories Poe wrote, “The Tell Tale Heart,” published in 1843, is about a narrator who is paranoid about an old man’s eye, so he decides to eradicate it. Another story by Poe, “The Cask of Amontillado,” published in 1846, is about a narrator who seeks revenge on his friend because, in the past, he was insulted by him. Both stories contain narrators, which are mentally unstable, but the narrator’s traits, their motives for the murder, and how their guilt is exhibited differ.
The criminal mind carries out the actions of insanity, and depicts them as a normal day-to-day duty. The stories, “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Cask of Amontillado”, both by Edgar Allan Poe, as well as “The Blue Hotel” by Stephen Crane, show a portrayal of the criminal mind, at work. In “The Tell-Tale Heart,” the main character killed an old man, just because his eye made him uncomfortable. Not only did he kill him without pity, but he actually felt proud of the murder. However, he ended up admitting the deed in the end.
In Edgar Allan Poe’s short-story, “The Tell-Tale Heart,” the storyteller tries to convince the reader that he is not mad. At the very beginning of the story, he asks, "...why will you say I am mad?" When the storyteller tells his story, it's obvious why. He attempts to tell his story in a calm manner, but occasionally jumps into a frenzied rant. Poe's story demonstrates an inner conflict; the state of madness and emotional break-down that the subconscious can inflict upon one's self.