Irony In The Tell-Tale Heart By Edgar Alan Poe

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In “The Tell-Tale Heart” Edgar Alan Poe's repetition of the question “Do you still think I'm mad?” is ironic; As he tries to prove himself sane, he contradicts himself, sounding even crazier. Poe's use of dramatic irony plays a huge role in the theme; A guilty conscience can drive you insane. Although the narrator is confident he will not be caught in the beginning of the story, as his guilt overwhelms him, he confesses his deeds by the end. The narrator plays nice with the old man, although he's planning to kill him. The man lies in bed every night, unaware he is being watched, and wakes up every morning to he narrator's kind attitude. The irony is that the old man is unsuspecting, only to eventually be killed by someone so close to him. The narrator feels no guilt, shame, or mercy, and has no real motive “Object there was none. Passion there was none. I loved the old man. He had never wronged me” (1). Ultimately the narrator blames his actions on the old man's “vulture” eye. Only after he has killed the old man does his guilt begin to eat away at him until finally he gives himself away. The narrator's confession is too, ironic,…show more content…
The police have no idea what's happening, and the narrator is smug, and satisfied with how he's gotten away with it so far, until he begins hearing a low, dull, quick sound – the old man's heart beat. Although, the officers are still unaware of the narrator's deeds at this point, he wants them gone. At this point in the short story situational irony begins to creep in; We, the readers, expected for the narrator to get away with the old man's murder, but instead he turns himself in as his culpability comes back to haunt

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