Hall Edgar Allan Poe - Tell Tale Heart
Why did the narrator of Tell-Tale Heart kill him on the eighth night?
As usual he walked into the room to shine the light on his eye, but the old man heard him and lay awake for a long time. Narrator shines the light on his eye and it was open. The old man shrieked and his heart started beating loudly. narrator thought neighbors were going to hear him, so he killed him then.
Why does the narrator of Tell-Tale Heart want to kill the old man?
Because the old man's vulture eye tormented him and he had to rid himself of it forever.
Why do the police come over to the narrator of Tell-Tale Heart's house?
Because they got a report from a neighbor saying they heard a shriek.
At first, how does the narrator of Tell-Tale Heart behave in the presence of the police?
He acts innocent and is confident that the police won't find the body because it is so well hidden.
What does the narrator of Tell-Tale Heart fear?
He fears that he will get caught.
Why did the narrator of Tell-Tale Heart wait so long to kill the old man?
He is sort of practicing (and because he is just insane) to kill him. He walks in every night for seven nights and slowly walks into the room and opens the lantern a little bit so a little sliver of light shines on the vulture eye while he is asleep.
What makes the narrator of Tell-Tale Heart very agitated when he was talking with the police?
He started to hear the dead man's heartbeat again very loudly.
How did the narrator of Tell-Tale Heart kill the old man?
He suffocated him with his heavy bed.
How does the narrator of Tell-Tale Heart try to lead us to believe he is not mad?
He tells the story in a calm way to try to prove his sanity. He tells us at the end of the story that he is not mad.
What was the real reason the narrator of Tell-Tale Heart confessed?
He was overcome by his own guilt of murder.
Was it really a heartbeat that the narrator of Tell-Tale Heart was hearing?
No, he confused the old man's ticking watch with his excited heartbeat. When he buried the body, he neglected to remove the watch.
At what point in time did the old man in the Tell-Tale Heart start to get scared?
On night eight he was startled by a noise and sat up in bed listening for a while.
Is the narrator of Tell-Tale Heart mad?
Yes, he has a nervous disease.
What did the narrator of Tell-Tale Heart think the police were doing?
he thought the police really knew that he killed the old man and were mocking him and merely trying his patience.