University Essay: ENGL 1302 - Composition II: Short Story Analysis

This essay is a detailed analysis of the short story 'The Tell-Tale Heart,' focusing on the narrative of an unnamed man and his descent into madness. The essay explores the narrator's obsession with an old man's eye, leading to a meticulously planned murder. It delves into the story's symbolism, such as the eye and the heart, representing guilt and anxiety. The essay also touches upon the story's realism and the narrator's eventual confession, highlighting the psychological depth of the narrative. Furthermore, the essay includes a brief response to Miguel Pastrana's analysis of Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Birthmark,' exploring the themes of obsession and perfection.

Running head: SHORT STORY ANALYSIS
Short Story Analysis
Name of the Student:
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Author Note

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SHORT STORY ANALYSIS
The Tell-Tale Heart
The short story ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’ is a narrated confession of an anonymous man who
is infuriated by the evil eyes of an old man. He describes about the crime he commits which he
plotted for seven long nights. He goes on to explain about how his pale blue evil eyes compelled
him to kill the man. The narrator carefully enters the room to put an end to the agony in the
vulture eyes on the eighth day, after great deal of planning. He wakes him up with a sudden
shriek and realizes that the old man was experiencing terror as death was hurrying near. He could
hear the loud thumping sound of his heart and feared that the neighbor might hear it. He feels so
anxious and worries about the increasing sound of the heart, he ends up attacking him which
results in the death of old man.
He dismembers the parts of the body and stashes them in the room itself, under the
floorboards. He soon hears a knock on the door and realizes that the police have come for a
report which was issued by the neighbors who heard the loud shriek. He talked to the police
calmly initially but soon his anxiety increased so much that he ended up confessing his crime.
The story has striking realism which has not been dramatized by the author. The story is filled
with symbols such as the eyes and heart of the old man which symbolize the narrator’s guilt for
his actions. The darkness in the room is symbolic of his anxiety and crime which he cannot resist
committing. The story is a moving one, as it leaves the readers much perplexed and thrilled by
the confession of the man.
Response to Miguel Pastrana
The story The Birthmark, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, discusses about the obsession of
Aylmer with a birthmark which his wife Georgiana has on her cheeks. The husband utilized all

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SHORT STORY ANALYSIS
his persuasion to dominate her and establish the value of perfection in spiritual terms. Aylmer
ends up removing the birthmark

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SHORT STORY ANALYSIS
References
Robinson, E. Arthur. "Poe's" The Tell-Tale Heart"." Nineteenth-Century Fiction 19.4 (1965):
369-378.
Bynum, Paige Matthey. "Observe How Healthily—How Calmly I Can Tell You the Whole
Story”: Moral Insanity and Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Tell-Tale Heart." Literature and Science as
Modes of Expression. Springer, Dordrecht, 1989. 141-152.