How Does Poe Create Tension In The Tell Tale Heart

The Tell Tale Heart

Imagine every night, having to deal with a horrible eye looking at you, how would you deal with it? This is the issue that the main character faces in The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe. In the story the main character wants to get rid of an ugly eye that gives him negative vibes. However he can't do it because the man with the eye stays awake most of the night. The main character has to be quiet and when he kills the old man and puts his body under the floor, but soon after the police arrived at his house because there was a complaint about a yell from the neighbors. The main character just tells them it was him, but the police insist on checking the house. As the police are sitting the main character gets nervous about a ticking noise. The noise gets louder and louder and the main character fears the police will hear it. The noise gets louder and louder, than the main character fear comes over him and he tells the police about how the dead man's body was under the floor. Suspense is the sense of growing tension,fear,and excitement felt by the

For example, the reader can feel the suspense when he writes, ¨And now a new anxiety seized me-the sound be heard by a neighbor¨(92). It is evident that the man is scared of the reaction the neighbors would show if they heard the sounds of the man yelling. The text also shows he has other anxieties biting at him when he says ¨now a new anxiety seized me¨. The character is becoming more fearful of the outcome of his mission. Using the same character, Poe states ¨Presently I heard a slight groan-and I knew it was the groan of mortal terror¨(Poe 91). When the man says ¨I knew it was the groan of mortal terror¨ he knows that it's not any groan,it's the groan of the man he killed. This brings more anxiety because he is worrying about the groan and if other people with hear