Perspectives
Literary context
Edgar Allan Poe’s short story is considered a gothic horror story. Gothic stories often feature mysterious main characters who may not be entirely sane. Furthermore, the setting is dark and gloomy, and the aim is to provoke feelings of horror and suspense in the readers. These elements can be encountered in “The Tell-Tale Heart” as the setting of the story is unspecified, the action takes place at night, and the narrator is a mentally ill person.
As with many of Poe's stories, the question of whether the events described are supernatural in nature is left open. Even if the main character believes that he has supernatural hearing and that the old man’s heart continued to beat even after he was dead, it is also possible that the sound is just a product of his own mind, perhaps a sign of ment...