Examples Of The Narrator In The Tell Tale Heart - 750 Words

One’s mind holds the truth that the rest of the world does not know. People have the choice to tell the world the truth, and even if they do not speak the truth, it is just hidden in their mind. Although people sometimes hide the truth, their actions can help you determine if they are speaking truthfully. For example, in the short story â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart† by Edgar Allen Poe the narrator does not tell the reader what exactly happens, and he alters the truth. The narrator is unreliable because he exaggerates the truth, is insane, and acts as an omniscient narrator at times. The narrator of â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart† is unreliable because he exaggerates many of the â€Å"sane† actions he performed. The narrator boasts to the audience how, â€Å"[he]†¦show more content†¦In conclusion, the narrator is unreliable because of his insanity. Some readers may argue that the narrator is sane because he constantly explains that his actions are sane. However, the narrator is actually insane because the actions that he justifies are very abnormal. The narrator explains that he concealed the body by, â€Å" First of all, [dismembering] the corpse. [He] cut off the head and the arms and the legs† (Poe l 133-134). Clearly, the narrator’s actions mentioned above are not normal. No sane person would be proud of how carefully they concealed a dead body. The narrator is just trying to explain his peculiar actions in a normal way, which he hopes will convince the reader he is sane. Although the narrator justifies himself, the actions he carried out are not even something a sane person would do, therefore making him insane. Moreover, the narrator is unreliable because he sometimes thinks that he is an omniscient narrator. The narrator states that, â€Å"[he] heard a slight groan, and [he] knew it was the groan of mortal terror† (Poe l 166). The quote demonstrates how the narrator somehow knows the old man’s feelings. This makes the narrator unreliable because the narrator, being a first person narrator, has no actual way of knowing what the old man is thinking. The narrator thinks he knows what the old man is thinking at many instances, but he really does not. It is just a matter of theShow MoreRelatedA Comparative Essay On The Tell Tale Heart And The Black Cat1090 Words   |  5 PagesA Comparative Essay on The Tell-Tale Heart and The Black Cat By Annaliese Zmegac 10 White Edgar Allen Poe illustrates his narrators from The Black Cat and The Tell-Tale Heart in a certain light. The portrayal of the narrators through symbols of a heart and dark and night which give the audience an easier understanding because of the implications surrounding these particular symbols. 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These stories contain many similarities and differences in term of the characters, theme, mood, irony, setting, confession, and the reason for committing murder. Both of these tales have a narrator that gave ambiguous and shallow reason for their murders. In the Tell-Tale-Heart, it is the old man s â€Å"eye of vulture† (1) that terrified him. The narrator liked the old man, but