The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe

LITERARY FOCUS: NARRATOR

A narrator is a person who tells a story. A story’s narrator may be a
character in the story. Another type of narrator is outside the story and
observes and reports on the action that takes place. We rely on a story’s
narrator to let us know what is going on. But what if the narrator can’t
be trusted? As you read “The Tell-Tale Heart,” decide whether or not its
narrator is truthful—or even sane.

IRONY: THE UNEXPECTED

Irony is a contrast between expectation and reality. Much of the horror
in “The Tell-Tale Heart” comes from Poe’s use of irony. Look for these
three basic kinds of irony as you read the story:
• Verbal irony What is said is the opposite of what is meant.
• Situational irony What happens is different from or even opposite
of what we expected.
• Dramatic irony We know something a character doesn’t know.

READING SKILLS: PREVIEWING

When you preview a selection, you look it over to see what lies ahead.

Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

You might scan the title and skim a paragraph or two to get an idea of
the writer’s subject and style. Preview Poe’s story. What predictions can
you make?

My Predictions

Literary Skills
Understand
narrator;
understand
irony.
Reading Skills
Preview the
story.
Vocabulary
Skills
Identify
synonyms.

172 Part 1 Collection 5 / A Matter of Style

 PREVIEW SELECTION VOCABULARY
Become familiar with these words before you read “The Tell-Tale Heart.”

acute (¥·kyºt√) adj.: sharp. suavity (swäv√¥·t≤) n.: smooth manner;

His nervousness increased his acute sense of smoothness.
hearing. The police showed perfect suavity.
vexed (vekst) v.: disturbed. audacity (ô·das√¥·t≤) n.: boldness.
He was vexed by the old man’s eye. He was impressed with his own audacity.
sagacity (s¥·gas√¥·t≤) n.: intelligence and vehemently (v≤√¥·m¥nt·l≤) adv.: forcefully.
good judgment.
He talked more vehemently, but he couldn’t
He was proud of his powers and of his sagacity. drown out the sound.
refrained (ri·fr†nd√) v.: held back. gesticulations (jes·tik≈yº·l†√◊¥nz) n.:
Though furious, he refrained from action. energetic gestures.

wary (werò) adj.: cautious.

His violent gesticulations did not disturb the
police officers.
He was too wary to make a careless mistake.
derision (di·ri¤√¥n) n.: ridicule.
He hated the smiling derision of the police.
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CLARIFYING WORD MEANINGS: SYNONYMS

A synonym is a word that has the same or nearly the same meaning
as another word. When you learn a new word, take note of its
synonyms. Knowing its synonyms will help you remember the new
word’s meaning.

In the sentences below, a synonym is provided in parentheses for each

boldface vocabulary word.
• “Above all was the sense of hearing acute (sharp).”
• “It was not the old man who vexed (annoyed) me, but his Evil Eye.”
• “I had been too wary (cautious) for that.”
• “I talked more quickly—more vehemently (forcefully); but the noise
steadily increased.”
• “Anything was more tolerable than this derision (ridicule)!”

The Tell-Tale Heart 173

 Edgar Allan Poe

Tom Leonard.
True!—nervous—very, very dreadfully nervous I had been
Re-read lines 1–7. Circle what and am; but why will you say that I am mad? The disease

Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

the narrator says he is not.
Underline how he intends to
had sharpened my senses—not destroyed—not dulled
prove he’s healthy. them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard all
things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things
in hell. How, then, am I mad? Hearken! and observe how
acute (¥·kyºt√) adj.: sharp;
sensitive; severe.
healthily—how calmly I can tell you the whole story.
It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my
brain; but once conceived, it haunted me day and night.
How would you describe the 10 Object1 there was none. Passion there was none. I loved the
narrator’s reaction to the old
man (lines 8–17)? Underline old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given
the idea that enters the me insult. For his gold I had no desire. I think it was his
narrator’s brain.
eye! Yes, it was this! One of his eyes resembled that of a

1. object (äb√jikt) n.: purpose or goal.

174 Part 1 Collection 5 / A Matter of Style

 vulture—a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it
fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees—very
gradually—I made up my mind to take the life of the old In lines 18–33 the narrator
claims to have several quali-
man and thus rid myself of the eye forever. ties that insane people don’t
Now this is the point. You fancy me mad. Madmen have. Circle the qualities that
he mentions. In your opinion,
know nothing. But you should have seen me. You should does having those qualities
prove his sanity—or not?
20 have seen how wisely I proceeded—with what caution—
with what foresight—with what dissimulation2 I went to
work! I was never kinder to the old man than during the
whole week before I killed him. And every night, about
midnight, I turned the latch of his door and opened it—
oh, so gently! And then, when I had made an opening
sufficient for my head, I put in a dark lantern, all closed, Pause at line 40. Do you
closed, so that no light shone out, and then I thrust in my think the narrator will kill
the old man? Tell what you
head. Oh, you would have laughed to see how cunningly think will happen. Base your
prediction on the details you
I thrust it in! I moved it slowly—very, very slowly, so that already know.
30 I might not disturb the old man’s sleep. It took me an hour
to place my whole head within the opening so far that I
could see him as he lay upon his bed. Ha! Would a madman
have been so wise as this? And then, when my head was
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well in the room, I undid the lantern cautiously—oh, so

cautiously—cautiously (for the hinges creaked)—I undid
it just so much that a single thin ray fell upon the vulture
eye. And this I did for seven long nights—every night just
at midnight—but I found the eye always closed; and so it
was impossible to do the work; for it was not the old man
40 who vexed me, but his Evil Eye. And every morning, when
the day broke, I went boldly into the chamber and spoke
courageously to him, calling him by name in a hearty tone
and inquiring how he had passed the night. So you see he
would have been a very profound3 old man, indeed, to

vexed (vekst) v.: disturbed;

2. dissimulation (di·sim≈yº·l†√◊¥n) n.: disguising of intentions or feel- annoyed.
ings. (Look for a similar word at the end of the story.)
3. profound (pr£·f¡nd√) adj.: deeply intellectual.

The Tell-Tale Heart 175

 suspect that every night, just at twelve, I looked in upon
him while he slept.
sagacity (s¥·gas√¥·t≤) n.: intel- Upon the eighth night I was more than usually cautious
ligence and good judgment.
in opening the door. A watch’s minute hand moves more
quickly than did mine. Never before that night had I felt the
50 extent of my own powers—of my sagacity. I could scarcely
Re-read lines 47–59. Why
is it ironic that the old man
contain my feelings of triumph. To think that there I was,
feared robbers? (What opening the door, little by little, and he not even to dream
should he have feared?)
of my secret deeds or thoughts. I fairly chuckled at the idea;
and perhaps he heard me; for he moved on the bed suddenly,
as if startled. Now you may think that I drew back—but no.
His room was as black as pitch with the thick darkness (for
the shutters were close fastened, through fear of robbers),
and so I knew that he could not see the opening of the
door, and I kept pushing it on steadily, steadily.
60 I had my head in, and was about to open the lantern,
when my thumb slipped upon the tin fastening, and the old
man sprang up in the bed, crying out—“Who’s there?”
I kept quite still and said nothing. For a whole hour I
did not move a muscle, and in the meantime I did not hear

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him lie down. He was still sitting up in the bed listening—
just as I have done, night after night, hearkening to the
deathwatches4 in the wall.
Read the boxed passage at
least twice to appreciate the Presently I heard a slight groan, and I knew it was the
author’s unique style—the groan of mortal terror. It was not a groan of pain or of
way he expresses himself.
Notice the kinds of words 70 grief—oh, no!—it was the low, stifled sound that arises
and sentences he uses—long,
short, simple, poetic, and from the bottom of the soul when overcharged with awe. I
so on. As you read aloud, knew the sound well. Many a night, just at midnight, when
change the pace of your
reading to reflect the narra- all the world slept, it has welled up from my own bosom,
tor’s words. Decide which
sentences you will read softly, deepening, with its dreadful echo, the terrors that distracted
perhaps even in a whisper.
me. I say I knew it well. I knew what the old man felt, and
Pay special attention to Poe’s
use of italic type to show pitied him, although I chuckled at heart. I knew that he had
emphasis, and dashes to show
abrupt changes in thought.
4. deathwatches n.: beetles that burrow into wood and make tapping
sounds, which some people believe are a sign of approaching death.

176 Part 1 Collection 5 / A Matter of Style

 been lying awake ever since the first slight noise, when he
had turned in the bed. His fears had been ever since growing
upon him. He had been trying to fancy them causeless but Unperceived, in line 87, means
“not seen or detected.” Circle
80 could not. He had been saying to himself—“It is nothing the context clues that hint at
but the wind in the chimney—it is only a mouse crossing the word’s meaning.

the floor,” or “It is merely a cricket which has made a single

chirp.” Yes, he had been trying to comfort himself with
these suppositions; but he had found all in vain. All in vain; Study the art on this page.
How well do you think it
because Death, in approaching him, had stalked with his brings to life the scene
described in lines 76–83?
black shadow before him and enveloped the victim. And it Explain.
was the mournful influence of the unperceived shadow that
caused him to feel—although he neither saw nor heard—to
feel the presence of my head within the room.
90 When I had waited a long time, very patiently, without
hearing him lie down, I resolved to open a little—a very,
very little crevice in the lantern. So I opened it—you cannot
imagine how stealthily, stealthily—until, at length, a single
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Culver Pictures, Inc.

This illustration and the illustration on page 180 are from a short movie
based on “The Tell-Tale Heart.”

The Tell-Tale Heart 177

 dim ray, like the thread of the spider, shot from out the
crevice and full upon the vulture eye.
Re-read lines 90–108. Under- It was open—wide, wide open—and I grew furious as
line three visual images,
details that help you picture I gazed upon it. I saw it with perfect distinctness—all a dull
what is happening. Then, blue, with a hideous veil over it that chilled the very marrow
circle three sound images,
details that help you hear in my bones; but I could see nothing else of the old man’s
what is happening.
100 face or person, for I had directed the ray, as if by instinct,
precisely upon the damned spot.
And now have I not told you that what you mistake for
madness is but overacuteness of the senses?—now, I say,
there came to my ears a low, dull, quick sound, such as a
watch makes when enveloped in cotton. I knew that sound
well too. It was the beating of the old man’s heart. It
increased my fury, as the beating of a drum stimulates the
soldier into courage.
But even yet I refrained and kept still. I scarcely
110 breathed. I held the lantern motionless. I tried how steadily
Pause at line 108. What do I could maintain the ray upon the eye. Meantime the hellish
you think the narrator might
be hearing when he thinks
tattoo5 of the heart increased. It grew quicker and quicker
he hears the beating of the and louder and louder every instant. The old man’s terror
old man’s heart?

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must have been extreme! It grew louder, I say, louder every
moment!—do you mark me well? I have told you that I am
nervous: So I am. And now at the dead hour of the night,
amid the dreadful silence of that old house, so strange a
noise as this excited me to uncontrollable terror. Yet for some
minutes longer I refrained and stood still. But the beating
120 grew louder, louder! I thought the heart must burst. And
now a new anxiety seized me—the sound would be heard
by a neighbor! The old man’s hour had come! With a loud
yell, I threw open the lantern and leaped into the room. He
shrieked once—once only. In an instant I dragged him to
refrained (ri·fr†nd√) v.: held the floor and pulled the heavy bed over him. I then smiled
back.

5. tattoo n.: steady beat.

178 Part 1 Collection 5 / A Matter of Style

 gaily to find the deed so far done. But, for many minutes,
the heart beat on with a muffled sound. This, however, did
not vex me; it would not be heard through the wall. At Tell what happens on the
eighth night (lines 47–133).
length it ceased. The old man was dead. I removed the bed Be sure to include the reason
130 and examined the corpse. Yes, he was stone, stone dead. the narrator’s behavior
changes. Describe how he
I placed my hand upon the heart and held it there many commits the murder.

minutes. There was no pulsation. He was stone dead. His

eye would trouble me no more.
If still you think me mad, you will think so no longer
when I describe the wise precautions I took for the conceal-
ment of the body. The night waned,6 and I worked hastily
but in silence. First of all I dismembered the corpse. I cut
off the head and the arms and the legs.
I then took up three planks from the flooring of the
140 chamber and deposited all between the scantlings.7 I then
replaced the boards so cleverly, so cunningly, that no
human eye—not even his—could have detected anything
wrong. There was nothing to wash out—no stain of any
kind—no blood spot whatever. I had been too wary for
that. A tub had caught all—ha! ha!
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When I had made an end of these labors, it was four Pause at line 145. What’s one
example of something that
o’clock—still dark as midnight. As the bell sounded the the narrator has said—or
hour, there came a knocking at the street door. I went down done—or felt—that is evi-
dence that he is mad?
to open it with a light heart—for what had I now to fear?
150 There entered three men, who introduced themselves, with
perfect suavity, as officers of the police. A shriek had been
heard by a neighbor during the night; suspicion of foul play
had been aroused; information had been lodged at the
police office, and they (the officers) had been deputed8 to
search the premises.

wary (werò) adj.: cautious.

suavity (swäv√¥·t≤) n.:

6. waned (w†nd) v.: gradually drew to a close. smoothness; politeness.
7. scantlings n.: small beams of wood.
8. deputed (d≤·pyºt√id) v.: appointed.

The Tell-Tale Heart 179

Pause at line 166. The officers
seem satisfied that nothing
bad has happened in the
house. Will the narrator get
away with his crime? What
do you think will happen
next?

Culver Pictures, Inc.

I smiled—for what had I to fear? I bade the gentlemen
welcome. The shriek, I said, was my own in a dream. The
old man, I mentioned, was absent in the country. I took my
visitors all over the house. I bade them search—search well.

Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

160 I led them, at length, to his chamber. I showed them his
treasures, secure, undisturbed. In the enthusiasm of my
confidence, I brought chairs into the room and desired them
here to rest from their fatigues, while I myself, in the wild
audacity of my perfect triumph, placed my own seat upon
the very spot beneath which reposed the corpse of the victim.
The officers were satisfied. My manner had convinced
them. I was singularly at ease. They sat, and while I answered
cheerily, they chatted of familiar things. But, ere long, I felt
myself getting pale and wished them gone. My head ached,
170 and I fancied a ringing in my ears; but still they sat and still
chatted. The ringing became more distinct—it continued
audacity (ô·das√¥·t≤) n.:
boldness. and became more distinct: I talked more freely to get rid of

180 Part 1 Collection 5 / A Matter of Style

 the feeling: but it continued and gained definitiveness—until,
at length, I found that the noise was not within my ears.
No doubt I now grew very pale—but I talked more What is happening to the
narrator (lines 175–189)?
fluently and with a heightened voice. Yet the sound What does he think he
increased—and what could I do? It was a low, dull, quick hears? What’s your explana-
tion for the sound he hears?
sound—much such a sound as a watch makes when enveloped
in cotton. I gasped for breath—and yet the officers heard it
180 not. I talked more quickly—more vehemently; but the noise
steadily increased. I arose and argued about trifles, in a high
key and with violent gesticulations, but the noise steadily
increased. Why would they not be gone? I paced the floor
to and fro with heavy strides, as if excited to fury by the
observation of the men—but the noise steadily increased.
Oh God! what could I do? I foamed—I raved—I swore! I
swung the chair upon which I had been sitting and grated
Poe once wrote that every
it upon the boards, but the noise arose over all and contin- word in a story should create
ually increased. It grew louder—louder—louder! And still a “single, overwhelming
impression.” In your opinion,
190 the men chatted pleasantly, and smiled. Was it possible they what impression was he try-
ing to create in this story?
heard not? Almighty God!—no, no! They heard!—they
suspected!—they knew!—they were making a mockery of
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

my horror!—this I thought, and this I think. But anything

was better than this agony! Anything was more tolerable
than this derision! I could bear those hypocritical smiles
no longer! I felt that I must scream or die!—and now—
again!—hark! louder! louder! louder! louder!—
“Villains!” I shrieked, “dissemble no more! I admit the
deed!—tear up the planks!—here, here!—it is the beating
200 of his hideous heart!” vehemently (v≤√¥·m¥nt·l≤)
adv.: forcefully; passionately.

gesticulations
(jes·tik≈yº·l†√◊¥nz) n.:
energetic gestures.

derision (di·ri¤√¥n) n.:

contempt; ridicule.

The Tell-Tale Heart 181

 The Tell-Tale Heart
Narrator Evaluation Chart The narrator of “The Tell-Tale Heart” claims
that he is not mad. Do you agree? Fill out the graphic below by collecting
evidence from the story. Focus on the narrator’s thoughts, words, and
Literary Skills actions. Then, write whether or not you think the narrator is a reliable
Analyze the
narrator. source of information.

Narrator

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Sane Mad

I believe the narrator is

182 Part 1 Collection 5 / A Matter of Style

 Skills Review

The Tell-Tale Heart

VOCABULARY AND COMPREHENSION

A. Synonyms Write the word from the Word Bank that best fits each Word Bank
group of synonyms.
acute
1. disturbed, annoyed, troubled
vexed
2. careful, cautious, leery sagacity
refrained
3. boldness, daring, brazenness
wary
4. withheld, repressed, held back
suavity
5. forcefully, passionately, furiously audacity
vehemently
6. smoothness, politeness, fine manners
gesticulations
7. gestures, wild movements, spasms
derision
8. scorn, ridicule, contempt

9. sharp, sensitive, severe

10. intelligence, smarts, good sense

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B. Reading Comprehension Answer each question below.

1. Why does the narrator decide to kill the old man?

2. Why does the narrator think he is not mad?

3. Who arrives at the narrator’s door at night? Why have they come?

Vocabulary
4. Why does the narrator finally confess to his crime? Skills
Identify
synonyms.

The Tell-Tale Heart 183

Question: The two controlling symbols in the story are the eye and the heart. What might these two
symbols represent? [5]

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Question: This extract is taken from the end of a short story called The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allan
Poe. In this section the narrator is convinced he can hear the beating heart of his murdered victim
under the floor boards. How has the writer structured this text to increase the sense of tension? [10]

No doubt I now grew very pale; but I talked more fluently, and with a heightened voice. Yet the sound
increased -- and what could I do? It was a low, dull, quick sound -- much such a sound as a watch
makes when enveloped in cotton. I gasped for breath -- and yet the officers heard it not. I talked more
quickly -- more vehemently; but the noise steadily increased. I arose and argued about trifles, in a
high key and with violent gesticulations; but the noise steadily increased. Why would they not be
gone? I paced the floor to and fro with heavy strides, as if excited to fury by the observations of the
men -- but the noise steadily increased. Oh God! what could I do? I foamed -- I raved -- I swore! I
swung the chair upon which I had been sitting, and grated it upon the boards, but the noise arose over
all and continually increased. It grew louder -- louder -- louder! And still the men chatted pleasantly,
and smiled. Was it possible they heard not? Almighty God! -- no, no! They heard! -- they suspected! --
they knew! -- they were making a mockery of my horror! -- this I thought, and this I think. But
anything was better than this agony! Anything was more tolerable than this derision! I could bear
those hypocritical smiles no longer! I felt that I must scream or die! and now -- again! -- hark! louder!
louder! louder! louder!
"Villains!" I shrieked, "dissemble no more! I admit the deed! -- tear up the planks! here, here! -- It is
the beating of his hideous heart!"
The Tell Tale Heart, Edgar Allan Poe

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