Narration Interpretation of Edgar Allan Poe's Works

Unit 3: Point of View & Theme
In the opening lines of Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Tell Tale Heart,” the narrator—who has just carried out a cold-blooded murder—sets out to convince readers that he is not a madman: “True! –nervous –very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad?”
But the narrator’s effort to convince the reader only reinforce his madness, highlighting how he is sinking into unhealthy and illogical thought. By telling this story in the first-person point of view, Poe succeeds in something equally important: He is able to illustrate—firsthand—a man’s descent into madness, and in doing so, he satisfies the human desire to understand the of the human mind.
Point of view is important because it influences the way we read a text. Narrators determine what we know and how we see it. Point of view is not assigned at random; authors choose a particular style of narration for that particular story. The two most commonly used points of views are first and third person narration.
First-Person Narration
“I walked up the steps, and my head felt heavy.”
“We walked up the steps, and our heads felt heavy.”
In first-person narration, the narrator is a participant in the action of the story. They explain the actions of the story from the “I” perspective. Rarely, like in William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily,” the first-person narration uses the mysterious “we” perspective. Because these first-person narrators are actively involved in the events of the story, some first-person narrators are unreliable. Their “stake” in the story prevents them from having an unbiased perspective. Or, in some cases, the narrator doesn’t know everything going on in the story, so they can’t present a clear and full view of the events. Take, for instance, the narrator of “The Yellow Wallpaper,” whose deteriorating mental state eventually prevents her from wholly understanding what is happening to her.
Second-Person Narration
“You walked up the steps, and your head felt heavy.”
Second-person uses the pronoun “you” – this is a less commonly used point of view for writers. When it is used, second person is sometimes addresses the reader, sometimes represents a character writing or imagining speaking to another person, or sometimes it’s the character talking to themselves.
Third-Person Narration
“They walked up the steps, and their head felt heavy.”
“Marjorie walked up the steps, and her head felt heavy.”
Third-person narrators are generally more reliable than first-person narrators because they are not characters in the story. They’re another persona telling you the story. Some third-person narrators know everything about all of the characters’ lives – this is called an Omniscient Narrator (Omniscient means seeing/knowing all, sometimes related to a God-like figure). Other third-person narrators can only reveal the thoughts and feelings of some of the characters.
What each of the texts in this unit share is a distorted perspective. Madness, obsession, and sympathy for other characters cloud the narrators’ judgment and lead to unreliable or narrow-minded storytelling. But figuring out which Point of View the author is writing in is the first step to understanding these stories. Why did the author choose this Point of View? Why did they use an unreliable narrator for this story? What do these choices this mean – How do they affect what you, the reader, take away from the story?
Answer:
The Tell-Tale Heart is a first-person Gothic horror novella. It is a dramatic monologue from the point of view of a murderer. Poe creates a tense and suspenseful atmosphere by delivering the story in the first person. His technique of delivering a story reflects his unreliability and derangement. Poe may have chosen not to identify him to show that he represents all humans, especially those who have acted hastily. This writing style gives the story universality and explains why everyone has to pay for their actions, according to Wheeler in 2017 (Amir, 2018). The narrator's ability to act and speak in a way that hides his feelings about the older man and his intent to kill him is proof of his sanity. This dissimulation, he claims, proves his sanity. He also professes to have excellent hearing and can "hear all things in heaven, earth, and hell." He also pretends to be an omniscient narrator by telling the older man's feelings and anxieties. "I knew it was a death groan." So his understanding of the older man's psyche reflects his own. The older man's and his feelings are harmonized in this time. (ibid.)
In A Rose for Emily, William Faulkner adopts a first-person narrative style. This unique narrative style intentionally withholds Miss Emily's thoughts. It is as impermeable as Miss Emily herself. The author manages to hide the author himself from the view of the reader. In Miss Emily, though a recluse, does not act in a social or moral vacuum. Her actions are surmised and reacted to by the community as resented through the narrator. We are aware of sub-groups and generations partly because of the contradictory ways in which Emily is described (Li, 2015).
In A Rose for Emily, Faulkner points out the narration's voice, which is difficult to describe and implies a close link between reader and narrator. In this distinctive narrative technique, Faulkner purposely withholds Miss Emily's thoughts. It is as tough as Miss Emily. It is impossible to categorize it as limited omniscient or objective because Faulkner manages to hide. This short story can distinguish between the first-person point of view and the narrative style because the narrator is not clearly defined. First, the narrator identifies with the main character. This style gives the impression that the readers are in the story. The readers readily share the main character's thoughts and behaviors while observing their surroundings. Throughout the story, the narrator speaks for the entire town of Jefferson. He never says "I" and is never named. He is a bystander, not a participant in the story's immediate action. The narrator can relate events detachedly and in a matter-of-fact tone by employing "we" (Li, 2015).
The Tell-Tale Heart is a first-person Gothic horror novella. Poe creates a tense and suspenseful atmosphere by delivering the story in the first person. In A Rose for Emily, Faulkner intentionally withholds Miss Emily's thoughts. It is as impermeable as Miss Emily herself. In Miss Emily, though a recluse, does not act in a social or moral vacuum. Her actions are surmised and reacted to by the community as resented through the narrator. In A Rose for Emily, Faulkner purposely withholds Miss Emily's thoughts.
Readings & Materials
* William Faulkner, “A Rose for Emily”
* Edgar Allan Poe, “The Cask of Amontillado”
* Poe, “The Tell Tale Heart”
* Ursula K. Le Guin, “The Wife”
Literal:
* What is discovered in Miss Emily’s house after her death?
Miss Emily passed away sometime around 1925. Invading the house at her funeral are community members, including some former Civil War veterans. Tobe exits the building through the back door and is never seen again. One party infiltrates a locked room upstairs and discovers the body of Homer Barron, which has been lying in bed for forty years and has moldered there. They discover "a long strand of iron-gray hair" on a pillow near him, which they believe is evidence that Miss Emily had laid down with him years after she poisoned him.
* How much time has passed since the narrator of “The Cask of Amontillado” led Fortunato into the catacombs (hint: we don’t find out until the end of the story)?
This book was first published in 1846. Montesor, the unreliable first-person narrator, attempts to explain his deeds 50 years prior. Montresor addresses a known figure who knows "the character of my soul." After "the thousand injuries of Fortunato," he developed a scheme for vengeance.
The Cask of Amontillado, by Montresor, is a horrific tale of revenge told in the first person by an Italian aristocracy. When Fortunato ventured to disrespect him, the narrator promised retaliation. It must be perfect retribution, where Fortunato precisely knows what is going on and Montresor remains unnoticed. Montresor waits until carnival season, a time of "supreme madness," when Fortunato is particularly susceptible, half-drunk, and dressed as a jester. Montresor then tells him he has bought a...