Is The Tell Tale Heart Mentally Insane

In "The Tell Tale Heart", The narrater is indeed mentally insane. The killer states, "It's impossible to say how the idea first entered my brain; but once conceived, it haunted me day and night." By the narrator saying "It's impossibel to say how the idea first entered my brain", it tells us that something in his mind just triggered him to want to kill the old man. He didnt even have a reason too kill him other than the fact the old mans eye bothered him. He also states that "It haunted me day and night." This tells the reader that he was reluctant to kill the old man. But the thought alone was enough to make him mad, and kill the old man. "Dessemble no more! I admit the deed-- tear up the planks! Here, here!-- it is the beating of his hideous heart." This proves to the readers that he is mentally insane, because any "normal" person wouldnt believe that they could hear the beating of a dead guys heart. Furthermore, if he was a calculated killer, then he wouldnt have flipped out and told the police were the body was and that he was

As with most gothic literature deatg is a main focal point. And the main focal point of "The Tell Tale Heart" is the narrators longing to kill the old man. Another element found in gothic literature is madness and insanity, and in the story we can find many great moment to support this. For example, as I talked about earlier in the essay, he went insane and believee that he could hear the old mans heart beat. This insane halucination made himself go crazy and eventually rat himself out. Lastly, gothis literature usually has a sense of decay, and in this case, it is the narrators mind that is slowley decaying. The narrators mind is slowley decaying because of the old mand "vulture eye" that is constantly taunting him. Until he finally eliminates it for good. All the examples listed above prove that Edgar Allan Poes "The Tell Tale Heart" is gothic