A main idea in "The Tell-Tale Heart" is the fight between being sane and being crazy. The narrator argues that he is not mad by asking, "How am I mad then?" He thinks that his sharp senses make him more aware, not unstable. This idea is shown by how carefully he plans to kill the old man; he says he treated him "kindly" and was cautious and careful. The narrator's strange obsession with the old man's eye, which he calls a "vulture eye," shows his irrational fixations, making it hard to tell if he's thinking clearly or if he's losing his mind.
paraphrase this into simpler words: One prominent theme in "The Tell-Tale Heart" is the struggle between sanity and madness. The narrator insists on his sanity by stating, "How, then, am I mad?" revealing his belief that his heightened senses make him more aware rather than unstable. This theme is further supported by his meticulous planning to kill the old man, where he describes how he acted "kindly" towards him and approached the murder with "caution" and "foresight." The narrator's obsession with the old man's eye, which he describes as a "vulture eye," highlights his irrational fixation, ultimately blurring the line between rational thought and madness.
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