The Tell-Tale Heart By Edgar Allen Poe

The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe is a gothic horror poem with a rather interesting point of view. The story is narrated in first person by an unnamed murderer who throughout the story displays symptoms of a severe mental illness, similar to that of schizophrenia. This narrative point of view is significant in the development of the plot because the narrator’s mental state causes him to be an unreliable narrator. This encourages the reader to consider the story through a psychological lens to help them better understand the character development and plot by effectively by analyzing the narrator’s behaviour throughout the poem.
The narrator's mental state and his actions caused by it strongly compromises his credibility. It seems the he doesn’t know the difference between what is real and what is not, therefore neither do we. So it is important to recognize that the story’s plotline development and overall development is only caught through the eyes of the narrator, therefore it is difficult for the reader to see the story unfold through an unbiased perspective. Even from the beginning the narrator gives the reader false information by saying that he is sane, though that is made apparent when it is followed by a dilutional claim about his heightened senses. During the poem the narrator discusses his ability of dissolution as he used on the old man, meaning he can easily act or speak in a way that hides his true intentions. This also adds an element of uncertainty …show more content…
The narrator is an obvious sociopath suffering from a mental disease which compromises his reliability as a narrator. He leaves the reader in absolute shock, unsure of how the story proceeds and is overall not in the right frame of mind throughout the story. This leads the reader to believe that most of the story itself is most likely fabricated in the broken mind and the puzzled thoughts of the