Character Analysis

Character Analysis-Tell Tale Heart Essay Steven Schwartz Rockland Community College The short story can produce many different types of characters. Usually, these characters are faced with situations that give us an insight into their true character. In the Tell Tale Heart, a short story written by Edgar Allen Poe, the narrator of the story is faced with a fear. He is afraid of the Old Mans Eye. The actions that this narrator performs in order to quell his fear can lead others to believe that he suffers from some sort of mental illness. He talks as if he is in frenzy, especially when he talks about hearing things in heaven and in hell. The disease had sharpened my sensesAbove all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard all things in the heavenI heard many things in hell. (Kennedy Gioia, 34) The disease that the narrator is talking about eats away at his conscience until I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever. (Kennedy Gioia, 34) The progression of the story revolves around the actions of the narrator. He describes the wise ways in which he prepares himself to commit this deed. The way the narrator stalks the old man the whole week before he kills him can be evidence of a problem. Every night he would watch the old man sleep. He found comfort in knowing that the eye was not watching him, that it could not see the true evil within his soul. While the eye was closed, so was the idea of killing the old man. It is not until the old man awakens each day that the struggle within is apparent. This may be the reason why the narrator is so obsessed with watching the old man sleep. The actual act of murder, which the narrator believes was premeditated, was in fact a spur of the moment action. He toiled with the idea while the man was awake, that is, while he could see the evil eye. However, while the eye was closed, the narrator was at peace. One night, during one of the narrators stalking sessions, the old man awakens. The narrator goes into a paranoid frenzy, mistaking the beating of his heart for the beating of the old mans heart. During this frenzy, the narrator is afraid that neighbors will hear the beating of the mans heart. This causes the narrator to take action. He quickly subdues the old man and kills him. He then takes extreme steps in disposing of the body, dismembering it and burying it under the planks in the floorboard. These extreme actions can be used as evidence to the paranoia that is taking shape. The fear of getting caught would be a normal reaction to someone who has committed a murder. However, the dismemberment of the body was not necessary since the narrator had ample resources to dispose of the body properly. .ue473eeb3f58db7ae5ad90e708f37776b , .ue473eeb3f58db7ae5ad90e708f37776b .postImageUrl , .ue473eeb3f58db7ae5ad90e708f37776b .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ue473eeb3f58db7ae5ad90e708f37776b , .ue473eeb3f58db7ae5ad90e708f37776b:hover , .ue473eeb3f58db7ae5ad90e708f37776b:visited , .ue473eeb3f58db7ae5ad90e708f37776b:active { border:0!important; } .ue473eeb3f58db7ae5ad90e708f37776b .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ue473eeb3f58db7ae5ad90e708f37776b { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ue473eeb3f58db7ae5ad90e708f37776b:active , .ue473eeb3f58db7ae5ad90e708f37776b:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ue473eeb3f58db7ae5ad90e708f37776b .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ue473eeb3f58db7ae5ad90e708f37776b .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ue473eeb3f58db7ae5ad90e708f37776b .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ue473eeb3f58db7ae5ad90e708f37776b .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ue473eeb3f58db7ae5ad90e708f37776b:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ue473eeb3f58db7ae5ad90e708f37776b .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ue473eeb3f58db7ae5ad90e708f37776b .ue473eeb3f58db7ae5ad90e708f37776b-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ue473eeb3f58db7ae5ad90e708f37776b:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Money 2 Essay When the police arrive at the house, the narrator is sure that he has nothing to fear. He lets them into the house and bids them to search wherever they like. He leads them into the room where the body is buried and invites them to sit down. Although he fears nothing consciously, the narrator battles with his conscience subconsciously. .