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To What Extent Is The Narrator Insane In The Tell Tale Heart

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Insane or Sane? The terrifying story, “The Tell Tale Heart” by Edgar Allen Poe is down right bizarre. I believe the narrator is definitely a little strange whether you may disagree or not. Edgar Allen Poe had a very interesting way of applying the narrator to act like he is not crazy, but at the same time basically baby feeding the readers that he really is crazy. There are several ways the narrator himself is actually proving he is insane. The narrator is quite the character, being cold hearted and killing an innocent man. One reason that the narrator shows his insane side is the fact he is accusing the readers that they say he is “mad” for no apparent reason. The narrator begins the story with saying “but why will you say that I am mad?” (line 2). Throughout the text he continues to repeat his madness. “If you still think me mad, you will think so no longer…” (line 130). This specific quote shows that he is basically blaming us that we said he was mad. …show more content…

He states, “I could scarcely contain my feeling of triumph”, and said, “I fairly chuckled at the idea.” (lines 48-51). Repeatedly the ever so eerie “ha! ha!” would be placed in the text as a way of the narrator to apply his humor felt inside. The narrator, on line 74, also says, “although I chuckled at heart.”. Once again he is showing his entertainment found in being a murderer. Ultimately it comes down to this, insane or sane? Insane would be the perfect way of describing a person being mad, killing a man for no reason, and laughing at a horrifying death. After having the narrator showing so many things to prove he is insane rather than sane is pretty clear. The author allows a visual understanding of the narrator in the “Tell Tale Heart” from having many specific details about his point of view. Overall I believe the narrator is completely insane without a doubt and perhaps now, you do

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