Question

1. which of the following best describes the significance of the beating heart throughout the story?

o a. it represents the narrators own death, like the old mans, drawing near as he faces punishment for his crime.
o b. it shows there is something supernatural happening to the narrator, for the ghost of the old man is haunting him.
o c. it represents the narrators guilt and worsening sanity, for the beating heart serves as a reminder of his crime.
o d. it signifies the narrators anxiety about not burying the old man respectfully after killing him.

Explanation:

In Edgar Allan Poe's The Tell - Tale Heart, the beating heart is a psychological symbol. It is not a literal ghost (eliminating B). The narrator is not worried about burial respect (eliminating D). It's not about his own death (eliminating A). As his guilt grows, the "beating heart" (which may be his own racing heart or a hallucination) shows his deteriorating mental state and guilt for killing the old man.

Answer:

C. It represents the narrator's guilt and worsening sanity, for the beating heart serves as a reminder of his crime.