After murdering the old man, the narrator becomes convinced that he can still hear the man’s heartbeat. What does this beating heart symbolize, or represent? Cite evidence from the text to support your response.

Answer 1

In Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart," the beating heart that the narrator believes he hears after murdering the old man symbolizes guilt and the inescapable nature of conscience. The sound represents the narrator's overwhelming remorse and psychological torment following the violent act.

Throughout the story, the narrator insists on his sanity, claiming that his heightened senses have allowed him to hear the old man's heart beating beneath the floorboards where he buried the body. However, this beating becomes a manifestation of his guilt, reflecting the idea that one cannot escape the consequences of their actions. The narrator states:

“It was the beating of his own heart!”

This line reveals that the heart is a projection of the narrator’s inner turmoil and guilt rather than an actual sound. As his paranoia grows, the heartbeat becomes louder and more insistent, ultimately leading to his confession to the police. In this way, the beating heart serves as a powerful symbol of the narrator's psychological conflict and the inescapability of guilt, showcasing how the conscience can torment an individual long after a crime has been committed. The heart symbolizes the truth that one cannot silence their moral awareness, no matter how hard they may try.