Why Does Edgar Allan Poe's Use Of Fragmentation

The author uses fragmentation through the main character’s words and actions, in order to create suspense and keep the readers engaged. To begin, the story starts off with the usage of fragmentation by describing the mysterious character’s emotions towards an unexplained event, creating suspicion. The narrator portrays himself as “nervous—very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses—not destroyed—not dulled them,”(Poe 1). By leaving the details of his disease and nervousness incomplete, the fragmentation grabs the reader’s attention fast. It is clear that the narrator is, moreover, mentally unstable and dangerous as he finds his disease beneficial to his senses, yet …show more content…
The narrator conveys to the readers that he “loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult … I made up my mind to take the life of the old man,”(1). The use of fragmentation is present as the narrator expresses the relationship with the aged man as extremely fine, however, does not explain what their connection was. Also, his explanation of their relationship conflicts his decision to take the elderly man’s life. These partial details create suspense by compelling the reader to question the relation of the narrator and the older man. Lastly, the narrator gives the reader a purpose to why he wants to kill the elderly man with the application of fragmentation. The narrator uses extreme wording to describe the eye of the aged man as “a vulture … for it was not the old man who vexed me, but his Evil Eye,”(1). We understand that the narrator is frustrated with the elderly man’s eye, however, the narrative is incomplete, as we do not know exactly what caused him to feel this way. Thus there is a usage of fragmentation, which creates a feeling of uncertainty and suspense towards the older man’s eye and the narrator's true motive to