In the excerpt from “The Tell-tale Heart”, Edgar Allan Poe creates the guilty character of an unnamed narrator through indirect characterization. Using the components of internal thoughts and gestures, Poe unravels a story about guilt and reveals how he goes insane from the thought of getting caught killing the man.
In the beginning of the story the narrator says, “I smiled, -- for what had I to fear? I bade the gentlemen welcome.” The narrator shows politeness and calmness when he talks to the officers. He does this to show the officers he’s innocent and they have no reason to suspect anything. His actions and gestures show he’s going to get away with it but as the story goes on the author starts
In the beginning of the story the narrator says, “I smiled, -- for what had I to fear? I bade the gentlemen welcome.” The narrator shows politeness and calmness when he talks to the officers. He does this to show the officers he’s innocent and they have no reason to suspect anything. His actions and gestures show he’s going to get away with it but as the story goes on the author starts