The Tell-Tale Heart By: Edgar Allan Poe

I was actually very excited to see an Edgar Allen Poe story as one of our reads. I have always found him to be one of the most iconic and literary talented authors from the 19th century. I've read this short story once before, but reading it again definitely freshened my memory, and I now happen to understand the core of it a bit better. There is nearly always an eery and dark note which Poe has almost stapled in all of his works. Maybe it's because I'm naturally a horror enthusiast, but even 100 years later, he manages to attract readers to his strange tales that exemplify the twisted workings of the human mind. Specifically inThe Tell-Tale Heart, this mystery narrator focuses on the annoyance of an old mans eye, which drives them so mad, that it makes them commit an insidious murder. The disturbing part is the narrators constant reassurance that they aren't crazy, and in such an eloquent manner. This person stalked and preyed on such a helpless old man for no reason at all. In the end, the powerful emotions of guilt and paranoia gets the best of them, and they fess up to the crime. The story really takes the reader through a madmans thoughts and actions. There is no real motive, only the dire need to appease their own warped desires, and that may be the creepiest aspect of this tale. I would recommend this story to a person who likes to delve into psychological thrillers, such as this one, or one who just enjoys a good, short and frightful read.