In ”The Tell-Tale Heart,” Edgar Allan Poe uses various literary devices, such as symbolism, simile, point of view, and imagery to create a specific effect in his writing. Symbolism is the use of symbols to represent other objects or ideas.

Poe’s diction heightens the cocky tone, which is seen as the narrator describes his foolproof plan. Poe uses diction throughout the story to show the cockiness and haughtiness of the narrator. The imagery that Poe uses creates an irrational tone full of anger.

Poe uses words such as “bleak,” “haunted” “ghastly” and “grim” to create an atmosphere of despondency and sadness. The words and tone become increasingly dejected and intense as the narrator descends into misery, underscoring the evolution of the narrator’s thoughts and feelings.

The main idea of “The Tell-Tale Heart” is to probe the depths of the human psyche; Poe uses the story to examine the motives and pathology of a mad man, who interestingly enough is the narrator of the story and tells the reader from the very beginning: “TRUE!

“The Tell-Tale Heart” is a short story classic for all times. In the story, Poe creates a creepy, scary mood through the narrator’s denial of madness, the description of the old man’s eye, and the repetition of certain words throughout the story.

The narrator’s tone in “The Tell-Tale Heart” can be described as agitated, defensive, and manic. Throughout the story, the unreliable narrator comes across as neurotic and mentally unstable when he speaks in staccato sentences, uses numerous exclamation points, and continually defends his sanity.

It turns out that the hellish tattoo the narrator hears is actually his own heartbeat, growing louder and stronger and faster the more excited the narrator gets. This explains why, as his adrenaline began to flow just prior to committing murder, he could hear his own heart, but he interpreted it as the old man’s.