The Tell Tale Heart

• Narrator: A man driven to madness by his obsession with the old man's vulture-like eye.

• Old Man: A victim of the narrator's irrational fear and hatred of his eye.

Key Plot Points

Opening Confession

• The narrator insists on his sanity while describing his nervousness and heightened senses.

• He feels haunted by the idea of the old man's eye, which resembles that of a vulture.

Motivation for Murder

• The narrator claims he loves the old man, but his irrational fear of the eye leads him to desire the old man's death.

• He prepares meticulously for the murder, showcasing his cunning nature.

The Stalking Begins

• For seven nights, the narrator enters the old man's room at midnight but finds his eye closed.

• On the eighth night, he feels a surge of confidence, believing he can finally confront the eye.

The Murder

• The tension escalates when the old man awakens and senses something amiss.

• The narrator, fueled by the sound of the old man's heart, ultimately yells and commits the murder.

Concealment of the Body

• The narrator dismembers the old man's corpse and hides it under the floorboards of the chamber.

• He believes he has successfully concealed his crime without any evidence left behind.

Climax

• Upon the arrival of police officers investigating a neighbor's report of a shriek, the narrator remains outwardly calm.

• He leads them through the house to assure them of his innocence.

Psychological Deterioration

The Heartbeat

• The narrator hears the beating of what he believes to be the old man's heart, which grows louder and more insistent.

• This noise symbolizes his overwhelming guilt and descent into madness.

Breakdown

• As the officers continue their questions, the narrator's anxiety escalates, leading him to believe they know his secret.

• In a fit of desperation and madness, he reveals his crime, shouting to the officers about the heart beneath the floorboards.

Themes and Analysis

• Madness vs. Sanity: The narrator's insistence on his sanity juxtaposed with his irrational actions.

• Guilt: The auditory hallucination of the heartbeat represents the inescapable nature of guilt.

• Control and Power: The narrator's obsessive control over the situation ultimately leads to his own downfall.