EDGAR ALLAN POE’S “TELL TALE HEART”:
A FORMALIST LITERARY CRITICISM
Literature is indeed a diverse form of art as it can be expressed in a variety of ways and techniques. The way a literary text is written plays a crucial role on the portrayal of the text’s meaning. Further, the writing technique as well as the literary devices used by an author add flavor to the uniqueness of the piece. Style is the thing that makes a piece distinctive. These perhaps are the reasons why Edgar Allan Poe’s “Tell Tale Heart” became one of the most renowned literary pieces across the globe. This paper will strive for a deeper understanding of such piece by means of tackling its literariness.
"The Tell-Tale Heart’’ was first published in 1843 in the Boston Pioneer, and revised into its current form for an 1845 edition of The Broadway Journal. It is a story that portrays a man proving his own sanity while narrating how he murdered an old man. He began the story by claiming and explaining that he is sane. For 7 days, the man goes to the old man’s house every night to actualize the crime. In this scenario, the narrator tries to bring out that the precision of the murder he committed is a piece of evidence that he is not insane. In this case, the man can be considered an unreliable narrator given the assumption that he might not tell the objective truth of what is occurring. On another note, such piece is written in a thrilling way; hence establishing a sense of excitement and unpredictability. It is told from the first person point of view, through the eyes of the murderer himself. The attempt of the narrator to convince that he is completely sane despite the fact of murdering an innocent old man fails as the readers are forced to believe and understand that he is rational for committing the crime. This perspective helps develop the inherent ironies in the literary piece since the readers will recognize the truth much differently from the narrator. According to an article in Writer’s Digest entitled, Why Point of View is So Important for Novel Writers, the first person POV reveals an individual’s experience directly through the narration. A single character tells a personal story, and the information is limited to the first-person narrator’s direct experience (what she sees, hears, does, feels, says, etc.). First person gives readers a sense of immediacy regarding the character’s experiences, as well as a sense of intimacy and connection with the character’s mindset, emotional state and subjective reading of the events described. With regard to the story’s theme, it tackles the tendencies of human nature. The quest of man in determining what is morally good and what is morally evil. It tries to build the thought that people’s view on morality may differ. The unsteady atmosphere of every scene contributed a lot on what the piece is trying to convey. According to Gray, F. (2016), theme creates meaning and therefore emotional impact, which is the difference between a mediocre story and a great story that resonates with readers. Theme adds depth and cohesion, and, for a writer, a good understanding of theme is necessary to craft great stories that readers will love (Gray, 2016). Furthermore, the way the piece uses figures of speech is an interesting point to notice. The way it is used contributed a lot in the wholesomeness of the text. One of the figures of speech used is irony. This can be found in the second sentence of the first paragraph. The narrator says, “The disease has sharpened my sense – not destroyed, not dulled them.” This is ironic in such a way that the man considers his insanity as an advantage to his situation that in fact it is the main reason of his downfall. It caused him to doubt the flawlessness of his plan because of his “heightened sense”; hence he ended up in trouble. This point leads to another reason for the text’s irony. It is cynical to notice that despite all his precise planning, he ended up confessing his crime to the authority. Another example is the use of symbolism. Throughout the story, heartbeat is the major symbol. The narrator made himself believe that the sound he is hearing is the beating of the old man’s heart instead of realizing that it is actually his own heartbeat. Such signifies the man’s fear that his plan might fail and he will get caught. Further, it is also a symbolism of his conscience excruciating him for murdering the man. More so, the vultures, blue veiled eye clearly represents evil, the evil that the narrator saw in the eye that he was trying to eliminate. In an article entitled, What is the importance of Figures of Speech?, it revealed that Figures of speech enhance the author's creation. This is true of any genre and any form of writing. The effective use of figures of speech brings to life what would have been mere words, phrases and sentences. They express the author's intent and take the reader on a journey through what he or she experienced or imagined or witnessed at a specific period or periods in time. It brings beauty, emphasis and clarity to what could have been just a mundane and impoverished rendition.
Edgar Allan Poe’s Tell Tale Heart, reveals an interesting depth. From the way it is written to how it is being presented, the piece accentuates an in-depth apprehension of a man’s sanity. The use of figures of speech and the choice of words indeed play a crucial role on successfully channelling the context of the story. It paves way for better understanding and fostering a connection between the readers and the text itself. Indeed, the way a literary text is written plays a crucial role on the portrayal of the text’s meaning and the writing technique as well as the literary devices used by an author add flavor to the uniqueness of the piece. Style is the thing that makes a piece distinctive.
REFERENCES
The Poem Museum (n.d.). Tell Tale Heart. Retrieved from https://www.poemuseum.org/the-tell-tale-heart
Humpage, A. (2013). How Important is Writing Style. All Write-Fiction Advice. Retrieved from http://allwritefictionadvice.blogspot.com/2013/09/how-important-is-writing-style.html
The Tell-Tale Heart Summary (n.d.) Retrieved from https://www.enotes.com/topics/tell- tale-heart
Saya, M. (2012). Formalist Analysis SHORT STORY ANALYSIS TITLE: The Tell Tale Heart. Retrieved from http://arulsmart- englisheducation.blogspot.com/2012/01/formalist-analysis-short-story- analysis.html
Guest Column (2017). Why Point of View is So Important for Novel Writers. Writer’s Digest. Retrieved from https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-fiction/point- view-important-novel-writers
Gray, F. (2016). What is Theme, and Why is it Important. Retrieved from https://flynngray.wordpress.com/2016/01/13/what-is-theme-and-why-is-it- important/
Comments