The Tell-Tale Heart Theme Analysis

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The short story “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe has many themes and messages, but the main theme is ‘overthinking can drive you crazy.’ This is a good theme for many reasons, all which involve direct quotes and a mix of character, setting, and plot. He was always very nervous and almost skittish, which lead to a majority of his overthinking. He made his plan so intricate and detailed that he spent a week simply watching the old man. Although he knew as to what made him act all jumpy and nervous, he didn’t utilize the old man’s ‘vulture eye’ until he one day found the old man awake. Had the old man not awoken that night, he may have continued to live for much longer.
A quote that shows character is, “True!---nervous---very, very dreadfully …show more content…
A quote that works with the theme, ‘overthinking can drive you crazy’ is, “It grew louder---louder! And still the men chatted pleasantly and smiled. Was it possible that it heard not?---No! No! They heard!---they suspected!---They knew!---They were making a mockery of my horror!” This shows how he instantly assumed that the police officers could hear the old man’s heartbeat, and thought they were mocking him for being nervous about it. The narrator tried to ignore it, but ended up revealing that he had killed the old man, and that his remains were under their very own feet. If the narrator had not panicked and confessed of killing the old man, he might have been able to get away with it; or, at least, gotten away with it for longer than he had.
There is little doubt that the theme is ‘overthinking can drive you crazy’ because there’s multiple things to prove it. The narrator over thinks and plans every movement he makes before actually doing it. For example, he over thought his master plan of killing the old man, and took a week to actually kill him. He also panics and admits to murdering the old man because he believed that the police officers knew he did it. All of this overthinking is linked with his nervousness or anxiety because these attributes are commonly linked
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