The Tell-Tale Heart facts for kids
Quick facts for kids "The Tell-Tale Heart" |
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Illustration by Harry Clarke, 1919
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| Author | Edgar Allan Poe |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Horror |
| Published in | The Pioneer |
| Publisher | James Russell Lowell |
| Media type | |
| Publication date | January 1843 |
"The Tell-Tale Heart" is a famous short story written by Edgar Allan Poe in 1843. It's about a person who kills an old man because of his strange eye. The killer then feels very guilty. This guilt makes them imagine they can hear the dead man's heart still beating.
We don't know if the old man and the killer are related. Some people think the old man might be like a father figure. Others think the old man's "vulture eye" means he has a secret.
The story first appeared in a magazine called The Pioneer in January 1843. "The Tell-Tale Heart" is one of Poe's most well-known stories. It is a classic example of Gothic fiction, which often includes dark and mysterious themes. This story has inspired many movies, TV shows, and other works.
Contents
About the Story
What Happens?
"The Tell-Tale Heart" is told from the point of view of the killer. This means the storyteller talks about their own thoughts and actions. The story does not say if the narrator is a boy or a girl.
The narrator lives with an old man who has a cloudy, vulture-like eye. The narrator starts to feel very worried and afraid of this eye. The eye bothers the narrator so much that they decide to kill the old man. For more than a week, the narrator sneaks into the old man's room at night. They watch and wait for the right moment. But the old man's eyes are always closed, hiding the cloudy eye. So, the narrator doesn't feel the need to kill him.
One night, the old man wakes up while the narrator is watching. This reveals the strange eye. The narrator then attacks, smothering the old man with his own mattress. After the killing, the narrator cuts up the body. They hide the pieces under the floorboards. The narrator then cleans up the room very carefully. They want to hide all signs of the crime.
Later, police officers arrive. A neighbor heard a scream and called them. The narrator invites the officers to look around. They feel sure that no one will find any evidence. The officers sit in the old man's room, right above where the body is hidden. They don't suspect anything.
However, the narrator starts to hear a faint noise. The noise gets louder. The narrator imagines it is the old man's heartbeat coming from under the floorboards. This feeling of worry grows stronger. The officers don't seem to hear the sound, even though it's very loud to the narrator. Shocked by the constant beating sound, the narrator believes the officers must also hear it. The narrator loses control and confesses to killing the old man. They tell the officers to tear up the floorboards to find the body.
Throughout the story, the narrator keeps saying they are sane. But at the same time, they describe seeing and hearing things that aren't real. This shows they might be having serious hallucinations or paranoia. This could be caused by the guilt of killing the old man.
How It Was Published
"The Tell-Tale Heart" was first printed in a magazine called The Pioneer. This magazine was based in Boston and came out in January 1843. James Russell Lowell was the editor of the magazine. Poe probably only earned $10 for the story. It was changed a little bit when it was printed again. This happened in the August 23, 1845, edition of the Broadway Journal. The story was printed many times while Poe was still alive.
Story Inspirations
Movies and TV Shows
"The Tell-Tale Heart" has inspired many movies and TV shows.
- As of 2007, the Internet Movie Database listed 21 different adaptations.
- An animated film version was made by UPA in 1953. James Mason read the story for this film. It is now part of the National Film Registry, which saves important American films.
- A movie called The Tell-Tale Heart was made in 1960.
- Winifred Phillips performed a reading of the story with her own music. This was for the NPR "Tales by American Masters" series in 1998.
- The Canadian radio show Nightfall also presented a version on August 1, 1980.
Music
- "The Tell-Tale Heart" is one of several songs on the album Tales of Mystery and Imagination. This album was made by The Alan Parsons Project in 1976. The song was sung by Arthur Brown.
- In 2003, Lou Reed released an album called The Raven. It had several songs inspired by Poe's works, including "The Tell-Tale Heart."
- The song "Ol' Evil Eye" from Insane Clown Posse's 1995 album The Riddlebox was inspired by this story.
- The song "Ride the Wings of Pestilence" by the band From First to Last also seems similar to "The Tell-Tale Heart." However, this has not been officially confirmed.
Television Shows
- An episode of The Simpsons called "Lisa's Rival" (September 11, 1994) was inspired by "The Tell-Tale Heart." In the episode, Lisa hides another student's project. She replaces it with a real animal heart. As she feels more guilty, she thinks she hears the heart beating under the floor.
- A season 1 episode of SpongeBob SquarePants, called "Squeaky Boots", also has a similar idea. Mr. Krabs buries a pair of squeaky boots under the floorboards. He then starts to hear the squeaking more and more. He finally loses his temper and digs them up, shouting, "It is the squeaking of the hideous boots!"
Images for kids
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"The Tell-Tale Heart" in The Pioneer: A Literary and Critical Magazine, page 29
See also
In Spanish: El corazón delator para niños
