“Not Guilty by reason of insanity” This could be used in a plea in a court of a person charged with a crime who admits the act, but whose attorney says that they were too mentally ill at the time to determine whether it was right or wrong. In the short story, “The Tell Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe it describes a crazy man who kills another man. The story takes place in an old house in the old man’s bedroom. The main character explains to the reader about his obsession of the old man. His obsession is concerning the old man’s “vulture looking” eye. He watches the old man sleep for eight days. On the last day, the crazy man sees the old man’s evil eye, so he jumps into the room and suffocates him to death. The feelings of excitement and light-
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“I then smile gaily, to find the deed so far done.” (Poe, 384) “I put a dark lantern, all closed, closed so that no light shone out.” (Poe, 382) “Why would they not be gone?” (Poe, 386) After he kills the old man, his excitement and cheerful feelings are rising. This shows how little empathy he has for the old man and how he is mentally unstable. The lantern symbolizes the lack of insight on the part of the narrator, and acts as a support for his beliefs. He doesn't realize that he is crazy, and he thinks that killing is normal. He keeps on justifying his reasons for murder with the evil eye. After he killed the old man, the cops came because they heard a shriek in the middle of the night. Furthermore, they looked around and found nothing, so they sat down and started to chat with the killer. While he was talking to him, he was going crazy inside. The paranoia was taking over him from the inside. He wanted the cops to be gone, but on the outside he was talking to them normally. The significance of the lantern is that they supply light, and usually light is related to revealing truths. Edgar Allen Poe’s craft really helped develop the theme because the last quote shows how the narrator confessed at the end and it really conveyed the guilt of the narrator. Now that he saw the eye, he decided to kill him on this
“I then smile gaily, to find the deed so far done.” (Poe, 384) “I put a dark lantern, all closed, closed so that no light shone out.” (Poe, 382) “Why would they not be gone?” (Poe, 386) After he kills the old man, his excitement and cheerful feelings are rising. This shows how little empathy he has for the old man and how he is mentally unstable. The lantern symbolizes the lack of insight on the part of the narrator, and acts as a support for his beliefs. He doesn't realize that he is crazy, and he thinks that killing is normal. He keeps on justifying his reasons for murder with the evil eye. After he killed the old man, the cops came because they heard a shriek in the middle of the night. Furthermore, they looked around and found nothing, so they sat down and started to chat with the killer. While he was talking to him, he was going crazy inside. The paranoia was taking over him from the inside. He wanted the cops to be gone, but on the outside he was talking to them normally. The significance of the lantern is that they supply light, and usually light is related to revealing truths. Edgar Allen Poe’s craft really helped develop the theme because the last quote shows how the narrator confessed at the end and it really conveyed the guilt of the narrator. Now that he saw the eye, he decided to kill him on this