Tell-Tale Heart Analytical Essay

Readers are able to see that an eye is a symbol in the story because the eye is repeated throughout the story multiple times. However, the eye does not symbolize what people would have expected it to symbolize. While the standard interpretation of the eye is sight, in the story, the eye symbolizes fear and weakness. Evidence of this is “Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees - very gradually - I made up my mind to take the life of the old man” (Poe 523). From the evidence, readers are able to tell that the eye symbolizes fear because the man was terrified of the eye.

In the short story, “The Tell-Tale Heart,” Edgar Allan Poe uses many varying symbols, symbols that represent more than one feeling or idea. The old man’s eyes in the story are symbolic of a few things. The eyes are symbolic of how old man had a distorted view of the world which could possibly be why the narrator felt he had to kill the old man. The narrator calls the eye the “vulture eye” symbolic of the narrator’s feeling that because of the eye the man is evil (“The Tell-Tale Heart”). Kenneth Silverman says, “... eyes in Poe’s works arouse the dread of being consumed” (207). This is similar to how the narrator felt that the old man’s eye was controlling and took over its surroundings. Poe also portrays a blindness symbolized

In the story “The Tell Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe, is about a narrator, that kill and old man because of an idea that came to his brain for the old man’s eye. Once he determines to kill the old man, the narrator formulates a plan that fully acknowledges the effects of his actions. As he begins the explanation of his plan, he assures the readers with a sense of pride “how wisely[he proceeds] with what caution with what foresight with what dissimulation [he goes] to work”(1). The day he had killed him, he felt different. The narrator was just thinking about the man that he had killed. The narrator had killed a man which was an action that could leave to be important. He notices something about the man that is haunting him day and night. Trying to see whatś wrong with, the old man, he notices that “every night just at midnight [he finds] the eye always closed, but the old man who [vexes him, but his eye”(1). Every day it was hunting him down. He was just thinking about, the old man’s evil eye. He thought the old man had an evil eye, so he had a thought to kill the man. The officers came to his house because they suspected from him. Suspecting the narrator's guilty the

B. D. Tucker wrote of the possibility of the eye representing a higher being. This sparked the option and bringing about the "eye of God" belief. Talking about many things from the Cyclopes, the possibility of an eye of a higher being, and more so on the Christian side of what the story means. Tucker wrote more about the ties to The Bible with the three men who come to the door after the murder. The mentioning of the possibility of the eye as a higher being caused me to pursue how the eye could be that of the one true God. Focusing on the ending of the story when the three officers I wanted to look at the influence of God in the earlier stages of the story with the "evil eye."

First, the narrator says that the old man's cloudy eye is evil and that he is sane. As a

He states “I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire. I think it was the eye!

I know this because in the story, it says “It haunted me day and night. I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. I think it was his eye! He had the eye of a vulture –a pale blue eye, with a film over it.

The old man’s eye and heart set him over the edge, He had to kill the man to stop the look of the eye and to quiet the beating of the heart. After the death of the old man, the narrator takes the time to dismember the corps. There was no blood because he was cleave enough to dismember it in a tub. He did not have to worry about anyone find out about the murder He hears the knock at the door and opens it because he had nothing to fear.

In the 'Tell-Tale Heart' the author uses the symbol of the eye to portray a truly dark and gothic atmosphere. For example when he is describing his feelings for the old man he says " I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever." (Poe) This quotation is important because he is describing his plans and explaining why he is going to kill the old man. This is significant because it shows how dark the atmosphere of the story is as he is killing the old man just because he despises his eye. '

The eye is indeed frightening. It is said to be pale blue with film casing it. The Narrator also labels it the Evil

Although it is not stated explicitly, it is heavily implied by the character. This part shows that the main character wants to get rid of something, in this case, the man’s eye. The main character states “His eye was like the eye of a vulture, the eye of one of those terrible birds that watch and wait while an animal dies, and then fall upon the dead body and pull it to pieces to eat it.” This shows some clear signs that the main character wants to get rid of the old man’s eye(pg 1). The paranoia sets in right around this part of the book and he starts to go crazy, wanting to kill the man over his eye.

The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe is about a man, the narrator, who is slowly becoming insane while taking care of an old man. The narrator started with paranoid thoughts about this man and eventually plots and kills the elderly. From beginning to end this tale shows symbolic meanings that can be found in the lantern, the “evil eye”, and the heartbeat inside of the protagonist's head. One of the most important symbolism in Poe’s short story is the eye of the old man.

The character also refers to the eye as a “Vulture's eye”. This symbolizes that the eye preys on him internally. However the character loves the old man ,It’s his hatred for the eye that take him along a dark path. The eye serves at a barrier to the character that he must break through. Although no matter what guilt hides inside him all along.

Sam: The old man’s eyes ... his eyes resembled that of a vulture -- a pale blue eye with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me my blood ran cold, and so by degrees...” (Robinson P.370)

" The narrator makes the eye seem like the thing that caused the main problem to this story. Normal people, unlike the narrator, won't kill someone just because of an eye. In paragraph 13 the narrator also says, "I then replaced the boards so cleverly, so cunningly, that no human eye—not even his —could have detected anything wrong." The narrator says this to make us think that the old man's eye was very powerful and could detect anything wrong. No one would say that a dead person or a man with an evil eye, could detect anything wrong unless you are insane like the narrator.