Symbolism and Irony in The Tell-Tale Heart Essay - 2249 Words

Symbolism and Irony in The Tell-Tale Heart In Edgar Allan Poes short story The Tell-Tale Heart, the author combines vivid symbolism with subtle irony. Although the story runs only four pages, within those few pages many examples of symbolism and irony abound. In short, the symbolism and irony lead to an enormously improved story as compared to a story with the same plot but with these two elements missing. The Tell-Tale Heart consists of a monologue in which the murderer of an old man protests his insanity rather than his guilt: You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded . . . (Poe 121). By the narrator insisting so emphatically that he is†¦show more content†¦. . (121). The disease in this case is obviously a severe case of emotions, nervousness among them. Thus, even in the story the narrator realizes that he is overcome by emotions, and as such he must confess the repulsive murder of an unarmed old man. William Bittner mentions how Poe fancies the agony of conscience that leads the murderer to confess (180). It is neither the police nor a witness that dooms the narrator; it is the narrator himself who instigates his own demise. How ironic, and terrifying, it is that a madman who has no need for reason finds it impossible to carry on without justice. In the same sense, The Tell-Tale Heart is a study of terror. Poe formulates the story so that the madman narrator paints a vivid and remarkable picture of the fright of his victim: Presently I heard a slight groan, and I knew it was the groan of mortal terror. It was not a groan of pain or of grief--oh, no!--it was the low stifled sound that arises from the bottom of the soul when overcharged with awe. I knew the sound well. Many a night . . . the terrors distracted me. (122) This leads Arthur Hobson Quinn to surmise that the intense picture of terror was so graphic because the narrator himself suffered causeless terrors in the night. Quinn further infers that the narrator has a deep sympathy for the old man, even though the narrator is scheming to kill the old man (394). The study of terror is Poes style throughout the shortShow MoreRelatedRole of Realism in Edagar Allan Poe ´s The Tell Tale Heart and The Cask of Amortillado1014 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"The Tell Tale Heart† and â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† written by Edgar Allan Poe are dark short stories relevant to murder, revenge, and mystery. Poe writes both stories in a Gothic style in order to deal with ideas of realism. One may ask were the murders and punishments justifiable in either short story? One may also ask did Poe accurately depict realism in each story? 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