How Does Poe Create Fear In The Tell Tale Heart

In the story “The Tell Tale Heart” Poe has created fear and dread in many different ways through out the tale. The best way I think he creates fear and dread is through his descriptive words and how he tells every detail of how he does everything. In the beginning of the story Edgar explains of how whenever the narrator has eye contact with the old man’s bad eye, he feels something that makes him feel bad, “Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees --very gradually –I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever”(Poe 303). When he tries to change the mind of the readers that he is not mad, but only that he is very kind to the old man and is trying to keep him happy, “But why will you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses --not destroyed --not dulled them”(Poe …show more content…
During the last night before the narrator finally took the life of the old man, he informs us of how long it has taken him to open up the door to and tried to open the lantern but something happened, “I had my head in, and was about to open the lantern, when my thumb slipped upon the tin fastening, ad the old man sprang up in the bed crying out “who’s there”… For a whole hour I did not move a muscle, and in the meantime I did not hear him lie down. He was still sitting up in the bed listening”(Poe 304) Just a week before the narrator could no longer take the old mans eye, he says that the whole week he has treated him the kindest he ever has, “I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him”(Poe 303). After he has taken the old mans life, the guilt slowly eats him on the inside, making his head feel like it will explode, “My head ached, and I fancied a ringing in my ears: but still they sat and still chatted. The ringing became more distinct: --It continued and became more distinct”(Poe