In this post: A classic tale from an unusual, funny perspective. A true Spooky Season read!
Category: Fast Fiction + Short Story Collections
Happy Spooky Season, Reminders! In the spirit of one of my favorite holidays, I will be reviewing spooky short stories for the month of October. Enjoy~! 🎃
Ramiah Recommended?
Yes. But get ready because I think this review is a hot take.
So, I must disclose, this is my first Edgar Allan Poe short story in my recent memory. I have read EAP poems, the names of which I cannot recall. In other words, I am not an avid EAP reader, and this review is likely in conflict with those of some of his most passionate fans. You've been warned. 👻
"The Tell-Tale Heart" is a story between a man and an older man. The older man is referring to adoringly, and I made the assumption as a reader that this story takes place between a man and his son.
Despite the adoring nature I mentioned earlier, the son has an estranged relationship with the father. The son expresses that he had no fight to pick with the older man, he even "loved the old man" and didn't feel wronged or offended by him. However, the father had this eye. In his own words:
"One of his eyes resembled that of a vulture — a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees — very gradually — I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever."
And so it begins.
I can't tell you how many times I annotated "lol" or "hahaha" as I read this story - and it is only about 4 pages long so that should tell you something.
Maybe it was just me, but the phrasing used in this story evoked a dry sense of humor. In example, right after declaring his drive to take his old man's life, the son says, "I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him." The sense of pride in his own actions makes the protagonist an interesting character, especially when such actions are as deplorable as committing murder (and toward a presumed loved one, no less!).
EAP dances between the morbidity of death and the insanity of a prideful killer. I can see why many are attracted to this theme of storytelling.
The madness of the protagonist was starting to drive me mad, as well. Especially in the second-to-last paragraph of the short story - the protagonist is being drilled by a loud, shrilling sound that no one else (the police at this point of the story), seems to hear. This was easily one of the most suspenseful parts of the story, as I was strongly asking myself, "What's the noise? What's the noise!?"
The ending was unexpected, and although the reading subject is darker than my usual tastes, the juxtaposition between the topics and the narattie style is enough to pique anyone's interests into this classic author.
You can read the story for yourself here.
Ramiah Reflects
Food for Thought:
I was puzzled by: "In an instant I dragged him to the floor, and pulled the heavy bed over him." Do you think the son killed the father by smothering him with the sheets or crushing him with the weight of the bed?
An interesting (and funny) way to refer to a heartbeat: "the hellish tattoo of the heart"
Ramiah's Re-read When
Re-read when:
You want to entertain some dark humor
You want to experience a mad author's stream of consciousness
You want to enjoy Spooky Season reading!
Check out my other posts and book notes here.
Until next time!
Montana Houston
