Question

part 3: written response (20 points)
prompt: edgar allan poe creates suspense in \the tell-tale heart\ through the narrator’s unreliable perspective and guilt. how does poe use the heartbeat as a symbol throughout the story? what does it represent, and how does it build tension?
your response should include:

• a topic sentence explaining what the heartbeat symbolizes
• at least 2 examples of when the heartbeat appears in the story
• analysis of how the heartbeat creates suspense
• connection to the theme of guilt
• proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation

Explanation:

To answer this, we analyze the symbolic use of the heartbeat in "The Tell - Tale Heart". The heartbeat symbolizes the narrator's guilt and the victim's life force.

1. Topic Sentence: In "The Tell - Tale Heart", the heartbeat symbolizes the narrator's overwhelming guilt and the lingering presence of the old man's life, driving the narrative's suspense.
2. Examples:

• During the murder, the narrator hears the old man’s heartbeat, which grows louder as he becomes more panicked, showing the approach of the crime and the narrator's rising tension.
• After hiding the body, the narrator hears the heartbeat again, this time believing it's the old man’s heart under the floor. This makes him increasingly frantic as the police are present, fearing discovery.

1. Suspense Building: The heartbeat’s volume and persistence create a sense of urgency. It’s a sound only the narrator hears, so the reader feels his growing madness and the threat of exposure. As the heartbeat gets louder, the tension rises, making the reader wonder if the narrator will confess.
2. Connection to Guilt: The heartbeat is a manifestation of the narrator's guilt. His guilty conscience makes him imagine the sound, and as the sound intensifies, so does his guilt, pushing him to the brink of confession.

Answer:

In "The Tell - Tale Heart", the heartbeat symbolizes the narrator's overwhelming guilt and the lingering presence of the old man's life, driving the narrative's suspense.

During the murder, the narrator hears the old man’s heartbeat, which grows louder as he becomes more panicked, showing the approach of the crime and the narrator's rising tension. After hiding the body, the narrator hears the heartbeat again, this time believing it's the old man’s heart under the floor. This makes him increasingly frantic as the police are present, fearing discovery.

The heartbeat’s volume and persistence create a sense of urgency. It’s a sound only the narrator hears, so the reader feels his growing madness and the threat of exposure. As the heartbeat gets louder, the tension rises, making the reader wonder if the narrator will confess.

The heartbeat is a manifestation of the narrator's guilt. His guilty conscience makes him imagine the sound, and as the sound intensifies, so does his guilt, pushing him to the brink of confession.