How frail is the human conscience? Further, how much can one stand before they simply shatter? The answer is yet unknown, but Edgar Allen Poe has created numerous stories that explore this concept."The Tell Tale Heart" written by Edgar Allen Poe explores how madness and guilt impact the human conscience which can both ultimately lead to one's demise.
First off, madness is capable of causing one to commit acts which they may have never thought about before. Further, madness can cause one to develop a fixation on an object which can lead to one acting irrationally. For instance, the speaker "The Tell Tale Heart" develops a fixation on the old man's eye and describes it as, "the eye of a vulture --a pale blue eye." and he also claims, "[his] …show more content…
Guilt possesses the ability to make one confess something they may never have said otherwise. This is true in for the speaker in "The Tell Tale Heart". Additionally, the narrator is forced to "admit the deed!" For his guilt was torturing him. Although admitting to the crime would have grave consequences, he wanted to be liberated from the guilt's torture. Next, guilt is capable of driving one insane or amplifying already existing insanity. By the end of the story, the speaker begins to act erratically due to his guilt. The narrator, "paced the floor to and fro with heavy strides." And, "swung the chair upon which [he] had been sitting." It is obvious the narrator is insane, but the stress and guilt of his crime caused him to lose his calm and confident front, bringing out his disheveled and insane self. Ever since he committed the crime, his mental state has been gradually disintegrating, however coming into contact with the police causes the process to speed up significantly. Finally, the object of guilt consumes one's thoughts. The narrator, whether consciously or unconsciously thinks about the old man after slaying him. Notably the narrator states, "for what had [he] to fear?" Through this one can deduce that he was subconsciously thinking about his killing of the old man. Further, the narrator thinks of the old man when he hears, "the beating of his hideous heart!" The guilt the narrator possessed for his crime
First off, madness is capable of causing one to commit acts which they may have never thought about before. Further, madness can cause one to develop a fixation on an object which can lead to one acting irrationally. For instance, the speaker "The Tell Tale Heart" develops a fixation on the old man's eye and describes it as, "the eye of a vulture --a pale blue eye." and he also claims, "[his] …show more content…
Guilt possesses the ability to make one confess something they may never have said otherwise. This is true in for the speaker in "The Tell Tale Heart". Additionally, the narrator is forced to "admit the deed!" For his guilt was torturing him. Although admitting to the crime would have grave consequences, he wanted to be liberated from the guilt's torture. Next, guilt is capable of driving one insane or amplifying already existing insanity. By the end of the story, the speaker begins to act erratically due to his guilt. The narrator, "paced the floor to and fro with heavy strides." And, "swung the chair upon which [he] had been sitting." It is obvious the narrator is insane, but the stress and guilt of his crime caused him to lose his calm and confident front, bringing out his disheveled and insane self. Ever since he committed the crime, his mental state has been gradually disintegrating, however coming into contact with the police causes the process to speed up significantly. Finally, the object of guilt consumes one's thoughts. The narrator, whether consciously or unconsciously thinks about the old man after slaying him. Notably the narrator states, "for what had [he] to fear?" Through this one can deduce that he was subconsciously thinking about his killing of the old man. Further, the narrator thinks of the old man when he hears, "the beating of his hideous heart!" The guilt the narrator possessed for his crime