Use Of Suspense In Edgar Allen Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart

Edgar Allen Poe, the writer of “The Tell-Tale Heart”, has been suspected to have written the old man representing a fatherly figure, such as his landlord. Whether this is true or false, Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart” has captivated readers ever since it was written. The narrator talks about a murder he has committed of an old man in such a commendable fashion, due to the fact that he does not like the old man’s “vulture eye”. This essay will explain how Edgar Allen Poe creates and uses suspense to create feelings.

One way suspense is created is through the narrator’s descriptions of events. For example, the narrator says that he,”...turned the latch of his door and opened it—oh, so gently! And then, when I had made an opening sufficient for my head, I put in a dark lantern, all closed, closed, so that no light shone out, and then I thrust in my head.”(90). This part of
Near the end of the story, it says,”No doubt I now grew very pale;—but I talked more fluently, and with a heightened voice. Yet the sound increased—and what could I do? It was a low, dull, quick sound—much such a sound as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton.”(94). These words show that he is anxious, as he thinks he can hear the old man’s heartbeat again. This definitely shows the narrator is crazy or delirious, shown when he can hear a pulsing sound in his head and his reaction to it. Here, suspense is created by our protagonist's reaction to the sound. The heartbeat being described could be imagined by the reader would make the reader have a feeling of intenseness. The sudden appearance of the heartbeat in the narrator’s mind may allow the law enforcement personnel in the room catch him, because the narrator is known for erratic, unpredictable actions, not following the usual train of logic. The chance of the narrator getting caught would definitely get the reader tensed and uncertain about what is going to