Stream of Consciousness
Edgar Alan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart"
Stream of consciousness is a narrative technique through which the
author tries to convey all the contents of a character’s mind: memory, sense
perceptions, feelings and thoughts. It also means that the author writes the
thoughts of the characters exactly as they think of them. Besides, this technique
suggests the similarity of the mind to a stream continually flowing, sometimes
fast, sometimes slow; sometimes deep, sometimes shallow; clear on the
surface, but dark below. Thus, this technique helps the writer to describe the
disorder of the mind through the disorder of the presentation itself. That is, the
sentences may be divided; punctuation cannot help the reader to understand the
sentences because there are many dashes, interruptions and ellipses. Thus, this
technique tries to match the narrative style to the contents of the mind. In firstperson narration, it helps the narrator to tell a story conceived but unspoken as
thoughts mix with memories in one unit. In "The Tell-Tale Heart" Edgar Alan
Poe makes use of the stream of consciousness technique to describe the
feelings and thoughts of a mad person. Through this technique, we know all the
contents of the narrator's mind and discover that he is a mad man.
First, at the start of the story, the madness of the narrator is revealed to
us through the idea of victim and victimizer. He shows himself as a victim and
the old man as a victimizer. He refers to his fear of the old man whose eyes
used to make his blood run cold. Yet, this makes it clear that he is a victim of
himself, of his fears and his madness. However, the action changes and the old
man becomes the victim when the mad narrator kills him, thus turning into a
victimizer. He claims that the old man’s eyes will trouble him no more. The
action witnesses another turn when the mad man once more becomes a victim
to the loud beating of the dead old man’s heart. Yet, this sound is only there in
his mind, reminding him of his shocking crime. He imagines that his visitors,
the police officers, can hear the same sound; this drives him in the end to reveal
everything about his crime because of this tell-tale heart. Thus, because the
stream of consciousness technique reveals the contents of the narrator's mind,
the mad man informs the police officers of the details of his crime.
Second, the style of language that the narrator uses proves his madness
because it is not the product of a normal person. His strange words confirm his
madness: “I heard all things in the heavens and in earth.” He never completes
his sentences and always interrupts his words and thoughts; this shows how
mentally troubled he is. The illusion that controls the narrator’s mind is also a
clear evidence to his madness; he imagines that the old man looks at him in a
strange manner, but this is not true. He even imagines the eyes of this old man
to be like those of a vulture. What makes the crime more horrible is that the
narrator admits that the old man has always been kind to him. He also claims
that he did not want to get the man's gold. It was all because of the man's eye.
Third, the stream of consciousness also indicates everything that the
mad narrator thinks of or feels. He is all the time repeating that he is not mad,
but is wise and intelligent. This is a sign of his madness. Moreover, the mental
trouble of the narrator is the reason for the discovery of the crime. He imagines
that the heart of the dead man is still beating when most likely it is his own
increasing in pulse as he gets nervous. The sound becomes louder and louder
and he cannot bear to listen to it. He feels that the police officers know
everything about the crime and he cries: “Villains! Dissemble no more. I admit
the deed. Tear up the planks! Here! Here! It’s the beating of his hideous heart.”