Blog #6

Question #2: It is documented that Poe was orphaned at an early age when his mother passed away and his father abandoned him. He was later taken In by a couple but never formally adopted. He had a fall out with the father figure that took him and was disowned. Poe later married his cousin who later died of tuberculosis. Poe finally died at the age of 40. His cause of death is unknown, although the theories of death range from alcohol, to suicide, to tuberculosis. His life and death is dark and shrouded in mystery (Cornelius).

Poe’s works seem extremely macabre in nature. Reading “Tell-Tale Heart” I realized that death was a relevant theme that comforts the main character rather than something that scares, deters, or bothers him. Poe’s life seems to be riddled with the reality of death left and right, and so death being a theme that appears in his stories is no big surprise. However, in the story of “Tell-Tale Heart”, it is surprising to see how easily comforting death can be to the main character. Death seems to be a solution rather than a problem, which may speak to the repressed inner workings of Poe’s mind. Not only death, but murder in this story is a comfort and provides a true perspective into the author’s mind. Possibly, in my opinion, it appears that Poe has been surrounded by death so much that he sees it as a very normal part of life. So whether consciously or subconsciously, he uses this very dark theme as an important theme to “Tell-Tale Heart” because it is so commonplace in his life. To him, it seems like dying is part of living, so death appears often because he believes this statement is true.

Cornelius, Kay. "Biography of Edgar Allan Poe", Bloom's BioCritiques: Edgar Allan Poe, Ed. Harold Bloom, Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 2002

Question #4: I read the article called “Critical Article: The TellTale” which comes to ask if the poem has elements of a sadomasochistic nature. The article mentions “Imbedded in the tale is the psychological journey of an egocentric who delivers pleasure from cruelty.” The article goes on by saying that the language used throughout is sexually charged in nature; “He speaks of the murder as a “conceived” idea that “entered” his brain.” It is continued by saying that the individual is bipolar in nature with his love and desire to kill the same man. “Wilhlem Stekel noted over seventy years ago, it is this coupling of love and hate that forms the basis for sadomasochism.” Calling the eye of the old man the narrator’s sadist “obsession” where the narrator not only receives pleasure from the act of murder but also from the ritual that precedes the murder. The article mentions that “Sigmund Freud observed that a sadist is simultaneously a masochist.” And the narrator is experiencing a moment where he is “merging himself with his victim” and that he can’t differentiate his own heart beat from that of his victims. The article then eventually claims that at the “heart of sadomasochism is egocentrism.” This is why the narrator talks about his own crime in such detail and eventually why he reveals what he did. He wants to be infamous or recognized in some fashion so he speaks about why he did what he did as a result of egocentrism.

As a reader I did not consider such observations however it seems that to some extent I agree. The sexual references I am not too sure of, however the idea of an egocentric, ego-maniacal man I can agree with. The narrator seems so intrigued by his own motives and his own work. He goes into great detail about his interpretations of the victim, how he kills him, and eventually even diffuses his own heartbeat to be that of the victim’s. He seems to use everything and everyone around him as a mirror reflection of himself, which is very narcissistic in nature. Later he is so convinced that the officers in his house can hear the dead victim’s heartbeat that he tells them what he did, which again, is egocentric because he believes his perspective of what he did is so much grander and greater in nature than anyone elses perspective. This is a very interesting premise to read the story in.