McGrew 1
Analysis of “The Tell–Tale Heart”
Edgar Allan Poe wrote dark, intriguing, short stories that seize the minds and
imagination of his readers through journeys into some of the darker aspects of human
nature and psyche. Even though his tales are brief, they are able to quickly impose a
terrifying anticipation and foreboding upon whoever picks them up. The subject matter
of his fiction often includes death, uncertainty, the subconscious, and despair. Through
characters and point of view, in “The Tell-Tale Heart” Edgar Allan Poe suggests that
obsession can lead to madness and destruction.
The first-person narrative adds to the horror of the tale, as an unreliable, faceless
man gives the reader a first-hand confession of murder, attempting to disprove his own
