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A Study Of Paranoia In Edgar Allen Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart

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A short story used to study paranoia and the tragedy of mental deterioration, Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Tell Tale Heart” illuminates the psychological contradictions that contribute to the narrator’s murderous profile. In the early moments of the piece, the narrator adamantly claims that he is not insane; however, his blood lust and obsession with the old man’s eye convince the reader otherwise. To this point, the reader might wonder what sane human being would dismember a helpless, elderly man. In fact, many readers may deem the narrator a sociopath, a man incapable of taking moral responsibility for his crimes. However, the narrator’s obvious guilt in the end of the piece proves the extremity of this accusation. As shown in the excerpt above,

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