Top 7 The Tell-Tale Heart quotes
“TRUE!—nervous—very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad?” - Narrator
The very first line of the short story serves to pull the reader into the tale and immediately indicates the Narrator to possess an unreliable character. The reader learns that others seem to believe that he is mad, and he believes that he knows better than others as he indicates that there is a distinction between his behavior and that of a madman. This opening sentence is engaging because it can be interpreted as the Narrator defending himself against the accusation of the reader, an accusation that the reader has yet to make. The question of the listener’s identity remains unresolved until the end of the book, as the reader never learns why or to whom the reader is delivering his account.
“It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain; but once conceived, it haunted me day and night.” - Narrator
The Narrator says the above when he discusses his seemingly non-existent reasons for murdering an old man. His only motivation for the crime is the supposed dread he feels whenever the old man’s blue and clouded eye falls on him. The use of the word ‘haunted’ is important, as it aligns with the Gothic genre, the reader realizes that the thought of killing the old man affects the Narrator much like a ghost or a spirit.
“Now this is the point. You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded—with what caution—with what foresight—with what dissimulation I went to work!" - Narrator
The Narrator attempts to assert control as he tries to indicate the important point to take away from the account. The reader is expected to conclude that the Narrator is sane, due to the careful manner in which he behaved with the old man leading up to the night that he decided to kill him. This section of the story serves as another important indicator of the Narrator’s poor mental health. His attempt to control the conclusions the reader makes about him also foreshadows his attempts to lie to the police and present them with a misleading picture of the situation in the house.
“And this I did for seven long nights—every night just at midnight—but I found the eye always closed; and so it was impossible to do the work; for it was not the old man who vexed me, but his Evil Eye.” - Narrator
The supernatural element of the Gothic genre is at its strongest in this section of the story, as the Narrator talks about an almost ritual-like practice that he initiates before he kills the old man. It also serves to highlight the Narrator’s obsessive nature along with the several other sections of the story. The Narrator’s use of the term ‘evil eye’ is also significant, since, at the time, the evil eye was believed to be the source of many supernatural occurrences.
“I knew what the old man felt, and pitied him, although I chuckled at heart.” - Narrator
The Narrator claims the above when he realizes that the old man hasn’t returned to sleep, but is instead wide awake, listening for any further indications about the source of the noise that awoke him. This one line indicates the Narrator’s egotism and his belief that he can understand and comprehend accurately what the old man is experiencing. The reference to the heart in this sentence foreshadows the role the heart is going to play in the later section of the short story.
“It was open—wide, wide open—and I grew furious as I gazed upon it. I saw it with perfect distinctness—all a dull blue, with a hideous veil over it that chilled the very marrow in my bones; but I could see nothing else of the old man's face or person: for I had directed the ray as if by instinct, precisely upon the damned spot.” - Narrator
The Narrator states the above just before he murders the old man, and it represents the most supernatural section of the story. The Narrator claims that he can see nothing else but the eye in the lamplight, which defies logic. If the lantern has been uncovered even just slightly, the Narrator ought to be able to see a lot more of the old man’s face than just his single eye.
"Who's there?” - Old Man
These are the only words uttered by the old man throughout the story. They are important because they serve to further complicate the narrative of the story. From the Narrator’s account of his relationship with the old man, it is indicated that the two of them live alone without anyone else, and yet the old man never calls the narrator out by name, and instead only asks who is there.
