"The Tell-Tale Heart" is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe that was first published in 1843. It tells the tale of a narrator who becomes convinced that an old man's eye is "the vulture eye" and plots to kill him. The narrator ultimately confesses to the murder, claiming that the old man's eye drove him mad.
The story is known for its suspenseful and atmospheric tone, as well as its themes of guilt, madness, and the destructive power of the human psyche. The narrator's descent into madness is depicted through his increasingly erratic behavior and his inability to hide his guilt from the authorities, who ultimately discover the body of the old man under the floorboards of his house.
The story has been interpreted in various ways, with some critics seeing the old man's eye as a symbol of the narrator's own guilt and conscience, while others view it as a metaphor for the corrupting influence of power and wealth. Regardless of the interpretation, "The Tell-Tale Heart" is a classic example of Poe's ability to create a sense of unease and terror through his use of language and psychological insight.
