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Sarah Schrader
Mr. Grimme
CPC 4
25 October 2014
The Black Heart
Edgar Allen Poe remains a very well known writer because of his precise writing
techniques and certain style of theme. Poe has written numerous short stories with
evident separations but also comparisons beneath the surface. The Tell Tale Heart and
The Black Cat exist as two of Poes most renowned short stories because of their gothic
theme, mysterious characters, and rhetorical endings. The Tell Tale Heart tells the story
of an unnamed narrator caring for an old man. The narrator is continuously aggravated by
the old mans pale blue eye, which leads him to take excessive actions. The story goes
through the progression of how the narrator sneaks into the old mans room for seven
nights and ultimately murders him. The Black Cat tells the story of another unnamed
narrator with the love for animals. This story conveys a narrator developing such great
mood swings it leads him to violently murder his cat and wife. Authors sometimes write
unalike plots; however, Poes writings specifically The Tell Tale Heart and The Black
Cat display similar symbols, comparable outcomes, and first person narrative, which
gives the reader a better understanding of the narrators insanity.
The eye exists as a prevalent symbol in both The Tell Heart and The Black
Cat. The eye reveals itself in The Tell Tale Heart as the old mans eye. The character
depicts issues with his inner vision or his outlook on the world as the narrator described.
The eye appears to have strange powers in the story. The narrator states he wants to kill

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the old man because his eye resembles that of a vulture. The narrator expresses his
feelings and thoughts of the eye multiple times in the story. Replaces the boards so
cleverly, so cunningly, that no human eyenot even his could have detected anything
wrong. (Tell Tale Heart p.2) The eye is referred many times as the vulture eye. The
eye could mean many things to the narrator one being it being a symbol of death.
Because he refers to the eye as a vulture eye one can infer it as a literal meaning.
Vultures are symbols of death, they prey on the sick or weak, gorge themselves to the
point of stupor, and are the opposite of common birds such as a harmless robin. On the
contrary, the narrator could have felt vulnerable to the old man, as another interpretation
could represent the vulture as threatening and watchful. As the mans eye drives the
narrator so senseless that he murders him, there is a variation in the narrators reason of
killing the cat. The narrator in The Black Cat expresses his obsession with the eye
when he cuts out Pluto, his cats, eye. I took from my waistcoat- pocket a pen- knife,
opened it, grasped the poor beast by the throat, and deliberately cut one of its eye from
the socket! (The Black Cat p.2) The eye displays strange powers in The Black Cat
after the incident because Pluto then becomes afraid of the narrator. Pluto avoids the
narrator throughout the period of having one eye. The eye in The Black Cat could have
a similar meaning as in the other story being it is a symbol of coming death. The eye
being presented and displayed in both stories could be foreshadowing a near death in the
story. Shortly after the narrator cut out the eye of the cat he killed it. Poe included
unambiguous images for his readers for the sake of imagery and to better express the
scenery of the story. In addition to the stories similar symbol the narrator also portrays
similar outcomes.

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In both The Tell Tale Heart and The Black Cat the narrator attempts to get
away with a perfect murder; however, his impatient character conquered instead. In both
The Tell Tale Heart and The Black Cat the police come to the narrators house
shortly after the murder. In The Tell Tale Heart, Poe, being the narrator, was calm when
the police arrived because he thought everything was set up perfectly and there was no
chance of exposure. While the police were chatting the narrator kept hearing noises he
thought were coming from his head. His impatient and mad self soon couldnt take the
noise anymore therefore he exposed himself. Villains! I shrieked, Dissemble no more!
I admit the deed! Tear up the planks! Here, here! it is the beating of his hideous
heart! (The Tell Tale Heart p. 4) Like his attitude in The Tell Tale Heart the narrator
is also very confident when the police show up in The Black Cat. The police arrive in
search of the narrators wife and specifically inspect the cellar, where the dead body is
hidden. The narrator decided to tell the police about the house, his work of art, and doing
so he hits the cellar with his cane. Assured and calm, the narrator became traumatized
when the missing cat exposed himself in the cellar. The police then find the body and
punish the narrator for the crime. The narrator obsesses over committing the perfect
crime, involving not getting caught, which is portrayed through his continuous need
actions of extraordinary cover-ups of the murders, which lead to his self-assurance while
the police were searching his house. The narrators ability obsession with his impeccable
murders ties in with his trait of insanity.
The element of insanity is shown at the beginning of each story when the narrator
declares he isnt mad and perceived throughout the entire story through first person
narrative. In The Tell Tale Heart the narrator exclaims, True! Nervousvery, very

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dreadfully nervous I had been, and am; but why will you say that I am mad? (The Tell
Tale Heart p.1) The heartbeat and the eye of the old man drive the narrator so insane that
he murders him, which demonstrates characteristics of insanity. The narrator
continuously attempts to convince the reader he isnt mad. In The Black Cat Poe
writes, Man indeed would I be expect it, in a vase where my very sense reject their own
evidence. Yet, mad am I notand very surely do I not dream (The Black Cat p.1)
While he is trying to convince the reader of his normal traits he is doing the opposite
while exhibiting insane delusions. Poe connects the element of insanity very well into the
narrators character in both the stories. The characteristics provide thrilling and intense
details that are vital for imagery. Through the thoughts and feelings Poe expresses
throughout the story the reader is able to vividly perceive the feelings and understand the
reasons behind the narrators actions more clearly. First person narrative adds a distinct
viewpoint of the story because of the narrators personal perspective on the situation.
Poe displayed similar symbols, comparable outcomes, and the element of insanity
in both The Tell Tale Heart, a story about a questionably insane man taking care of an
old man with an unusual eye, and The Black Cat, a story about an insane man who
tortures his cat for an unobvious reason and later kills his wife. Poes tendency of similar
aspects of stories provides the reader with a better understanding of himself. His short
stories have many apparent distinctions in plot; nevertheless, he may include similar
features for a repeating theme. His stories are often very similar in theme, which portrays
what may have been going on in his mind when he wrote them or he may have done it
just through his writing style.

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Works Cited

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"Analysis of Edgar Allan Poe's The Black Cat Poe The Black Cat Essays." Analysis of
Edgar Allan Poe's The Black Cat Poe The Black Cat Essays. N.p., n.d. Web. 06
Nov. 2014.
"Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart"" The Poe Decoder. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Nov.
2014.
"Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart" - Summary, Symbolism and Point of View." Bright Hub
Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2014.
Shmoop Editorial Team. "The Black Cat Summary." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University,
Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 06 Nov. 2014.
Shmoop Editorial Team. "The Tell-Tale Heart Symbolism, Imagery & Allegory."
Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 06 Nov. 2014.