Analysis of The Tell-Tale Heart

           Now this story is told from a first person perspective so we are limited to one person point of view. Not only that but the narrator seems to be trying to convince the readers that he or she is not crazy which ironically does make us believe that he or she is crazy. So these factors will make it difficult in find the truth behind the story.
           So it comes down to did he or did he not kill the old man? Was it all a hallucination of his disorganized mind or did the narrator truly rid the world of this evil eye? Perhaps it is a bit of both. The narrator probably did commit the actions he or she said yet tried to justify them with this story. In the narrators mind he or she truly believed that this mans eye was evil and must be removed. After committing the crime however the narrator believed to have heard the beating of the old mans heart. Now it is impossible for a dead and dismembered man's heart to continue to beat and nonetheless being loud enough for the narrator to here. There are many interpretations of what could of been the cause of this beating heart. Some say that it was the guilt secretly growing within the narrator of committing the murder that made him or her hear the beating heart. Others such as Henry Thoreau have said that it may have been nothing more than an insect that mimics the sound of a beating heart. The truth behind the beating heart will remain a mystery for we cannot entirely believe the narrator's side of the story.
           In conclusion the narrator did probably murder the old man but only because of a mental insecurity or disability. The narrator did believe that his or her actions were justified but in actuality were not. So the beating heart could of been a figment of the narrator's imagination and could of just been guilt.

Revelation (Rough Draft)

        A man set foot off the train and checked his surroundings. His name was Ryan Miller. He stood there up high on the platform and the train soon set off on its predetermined journey. From the platform he could see a large vacant construction site surrounded by a chain-link fence. The area was once a large factory of a sort but now only rubble and gravel remain to signify its previous existence. Cement blocks littered its floor amongst other collections of bottles, bags, and other items people tend to throw over the fence. From the platform he heads off down the stairs to get the sidewalk. As Ryan takes his usual route home he always gazes upon the construction site as he passes by it. The earlier rains have created large puddles scattered across the area. Many of which could be large enough to resemble a small pond. It was a strange site seeing such large collections of water amongst the wasteland that the construction area resembled.

   

          He walks with a blank stare across his face as if he has no regard for his surroundings. People pass by him and he just looks ahead without giving a single glance.  He reaches an intersection where he takes a left. Along the street is a large assortment of marts, shops, stores, and several other types of businesses. Ryan pays little attention to most of them however the grumble of his stomach caused him to reconsider so he enters one of the many marts. As he walks in he noticed the shelves upon shelves of food and produce. It was a small mart so there was little space to maneuver. Ryan looks around for a something to diminish his hunger when he noticed small kid near the end of the mart. The kid just seemed to walk around looking at all the snacks and foods that are stored on the shelves. Ryan didn't pay much attention to him when he caught something out of the corner of his eye. The kid had grabbed a pair a chocolate bars and stuffed them into his pocket. Ryan pretended not to notice and looked around to see if anyone else had but no one else did. Ryan walks up to kid and crouched down to talk to him.

"Hey there kid isn't the chocolate going to melt in your pockets?" whispered Ryan. The kid then stared at Ryan with widened eyes as he noticed that he had been discovered. "Hey don't worry about it I won't tell anyone but you can't leave the store with those candy bars in your pocket.”  Ryan then reaches into his back pocket and takes out two dollars. "Here, if you want a candy bar you got to make sure you pay for it first." Ryan says with a smirk.

         

"Wow thanks mister!" said the little kid and he reached for the two dollars in a heartbeat.

       

 "Whoa slow down there buddy" Ryan said as he moved the money out of the kids reach. "You got to promise me that you won't be stealing anymore candy bars or anything else for that matter alright?"

         

"Okay okay I promise! I won’t steal anymore."       

"Alright here now run along now it’s getting dark soon." said Ryan.

         

The kid then let out a wide smile and ran to go pay for his candy bar. Ryan just watches the kid as he rushes out of the store with a candy bar in hand. Ryan sighs and under his breath he says "He might come back tomorrow and be back at it again but who knows maybe he'll learn from this." Ryan then pays for a candy bar himself and walks outside the store. He nibbles away at his snack as he walks. The sun had become dawn and the afternoon winds created an unfriendly chill yet it doesn’t bother Ryan. He just walked on and whistled a merry tune.