In 3-5 sentences, determine one or more themes in the passage to support your answer. Use the passage from " The Tell-Tale Heart"

Answer 1

In Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart," one prominent theme is the struggle between sanity and madness. The narrator passionately insists on their sanity while recounting the meticulous planning of a murder, revealing how their obsession with the old man's eye drives them to irrational behavior. This internal conflict highlights the fragility of the mind and how easily it can tip into madness, illustrating that the line between sanity and insanity is often blurred. Furthermore, the theme of guilt is intertwined, as the narrator's eventual confession underscores the inescapable nature of conscience, illustrating that even the most calculated actions cannot escape moral reckoning.