“It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain; but once conceived, it haunted me day and night” (Poe 92.) Sadomasochism is the tendency to derive sexual pleasure from both inflicting pain on others, and from the pain that oneself experiences. Edgar Allan Poe’s classic short story, “The Tell- Tale Heart,” is not only a story of the murder of an old man, but at closer analysis, speaks of a sadomasochistic motive behind the crime. Hollie Pritchard’s criticism of the story evaluates various aspects of literature that help link the seemingly straightforward story to the deeper, darker meaning behind Poe’s words.
