Edgar Allan Poe constructed two short stories named “The Tale-Tell Heart” and “The Black Cat”. Both of these stories are narrated by very similar men with very interesting lives. Poe was a very smart man and achieved a complete new way of viewing a story by writing these stories in first person to show the emotional instability of the narrators, the way a mad man defends his sanity, and a better understanding of what is actually going on inside their minds. Both of these stories being told in first person lets the reader see into the minds of the narrators who are emotionally unstable for some type of reason. The man in “The Tale-Tell Heart” was unstable from some sort of disease. Throughout the whole story the narrator talks about how the
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The man in “The Tale-Tell Heart” constantly says that the readers should not think he is mad because a mad man would not do what he has done or would not have been smart enough to pull it off. However, in the end he gives in to the noise in his mind so he does not pull it off like he said a sane person would. His actions that be believes makes him sane are actually most likely what a mentally ill person would attempt so it is very easy to infer that he is not very sane at all. Poe telling these stories in first person helps the reader identify with the narrator. If either of these would have been told from a different point of view the murderer/narrator would likely to just be seen as insane for no reason but listening to him tell the story gives more insight on how his mind actually works and how he believes he is not crazy. In “The Black Cat” the narrator says himself that “there is no disease like alcohol” and that disease became a part of him but he never admits to being mad. He actually says “mad I am not” to insure that he is not thought of as crazy even though the rest of the story will portray him in that way. Telling this story in first person could actually be confusing for the reader because the narrator makes it a point to say he is not mad but also states that the disease of alcohol is overcoming him. He also contradicts himself and tells the story with the same type of examples the narrator of “The Tale-Tell Heart” used. Some of the examples the man from “The Black Cat” used include murdering his wife, hanging a cat and putting his wife in a chimney
The man in “The Tale-Tell Heart” constantly says that the readers should not think he is mad because a mad man would not do what he has done or would not have been smart enough to pull it off. However, in the end he gives in to the noise in his mind so he does not pull it off like he said a sane person would. His actions that be believes makes him sane are actually most likely what a mentally ill person would attempt so it is very easy to infer that he is not very sane at all. Poe telling these stories in first person helps the reader identify with the narrator. If either of these would have been told from a different point of view the murderer/narrator would likely to just be seen as insane for no reason but listening to him tell the story gives more insight on how his mind actually works and how he believes he is not crazy. In “The Black Cat” the narrator says himself that “there is no disease like alcohol” and that disease became a part of him but he never admits to being mad. He actually says “mad I am not” to insure that he is not thought of as crazy even though the rest of the story will portray him in that way. Telling this story in first person could actually be confusing for the reader because the narrator makes it a point to say he is not mad but also states that the disease of alcohol is overcoming him. He also contradicts himself and tells the story with the same type of examples the narrator of “The Tale-Tell Heart” used. Some of the examples the man from “The Black Cat” used include murdering his wife, hanging a cat and putting his wife in a chimney