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Reasons for Murder
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Gargano, Hoffman, Rea, & Sweet
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11/10/2010
Jordan Cernek
Cernek 2
“The Tell-Tale Heart” Introduction
The imagery presented in “The Tell-Tale Heart,” written by Edgar Allan Poe, delves deep
into the thoughts and experiences held true by all people; universal truths revealing the
darkness of humanity. Two critics, among many others, explored this mysterious imagery in
their criticisms of Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart.” James Gargano, captivated by Poe’s allusions to
Time, claims that the narrator killed the old man out of his own fear of inevitable doom. That is
to say, Time will, at one point or another, claim everything.
The narrator, realizing his
mortality, desperately tried to save himself from being “caught in the temporal net” (Gargano,
“The Theme of Time in 'The Tell-Tale Heart'”) of Time. A fellow critic, almost half a century
later, also claimed that the young man was doomed by Time. Furthermore, this critic, Daniel
Hoffman, asserted that the narrator desired to do away with the old man because he feared his
judgment as a father-figure. Hoffman believes that the “evil eye” represented this judgment,
something the narrator could not endure.
Both critics offer enlightening views into the
reasoning behind the murder of the old man in Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart.”
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James W. Gargano, “The Theme of Time in ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’”
Gargano’s thesis is this: that the young man in “The Tell-Tale Heart” refuses to accept
himself as a mortal being tied to the restrictions of Time. This is evident when looking at the
symbolism illustrated in the story. Gargano believes that the short story goes beyond an
unreliable narrator, and that there are “internally consistent symbols that are charged with
meaning” (Gargano, 378) that help determine the reasoning behind the protagonist’s actions.
First, Gargano explains that in order to undertake a serious analysis of the story, one must
recognize a very basic irony (of which Poe was a master of) at work in this story. “[T]he
narrator, though he does not understand his own character or actions, unconsciously provides
all the clues necessary to a comprehension of them (that is, his actions)” (Gargano, 378).
Without a doubt, the narrator is indeed mad, a fact that Gargano does not deny. But “in
focusing his violence against one man, [the narrator] makes known that he is rebelling against
the very terms on which life is granted to all men” (Gargano, 378). But this thesis carries with it
a need for explanation.
The narrator’s quarrel with Time, Gargano explains, is symbolized by the ever-present
ticking of the “death-watches” in the wall and the very “tell-tale” beating of the heart. Thus,
the murder itself is actually “a ruse perpetrated by the protagonist against himself” (Gargano,
379). The narrator’s own psychological paranoia with Time is his downfall.
Gargano, additionally, shows how Poe created common emotions that are shared by the
narrator and the victim throughout the story. Indeed, they “appear to be not only related but
identical” (Gargano, 379). Observe the following quote by the young man (Gargano’s italics):
Cernek 4
“(The old man) was still sitting up in bed listening – just as I have done, night after night,
hearkening to the death watches in the wall.”
Poe essentially implies that the old man was feeling the same emotions as the narrator
“night after night.” These shared experiences are further seen in the following excerpt: “Many
a night, just at midnight, when all the world slept, it (a groan like the old man’s) has welled up,
from my own bosom, deepening, with its dreadful echo, the terrors that distracted me.”
Moreover, the narrator knows the words the old man will say on the night of his murder
before he even says them because the narrator himself has already been in that situation: “He
(the old man) had been saying to himself – ‘It is nothing but the wind in the chimney – it is only
a mouse crossing the floor’ or ‘it is merely a cricket which has made a single chirp.’”
Gargano explains that these are all significant because each quote shows the characters’
similarities. “All *the narrator’s] hates and fears are embodied in the man he wishes to destroy.
He wildly assumes that by ridding himself of the external symbol of his dementia he will be able
to free himself from his psychic troubles” (Gargano, 379).
However, the narrator does not understand that his desire to kill the old man is really an
utter despise for Time itself. Poe allows the protagonist’s concern with the “tyranny of time”
(Gargano, 380) to betray itself to the fictional details presented by the narrator. In fact, it is not
a crime committed against a random man; instead, it is against “an old man made revolting by
time,” Gargano explains. In the end, the narrator is betrayed by the still-beating heart of the
old man, making very much the sound “a watch makes when enveloped in cotton.” In reality, it
is not the beating of the dead victim’s heart that does him in (for this is impossible), but instead
it is the ever ticking of Time that finally arrests him, Gargano states.
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To return to the imagery that produces Gargano’s belief that Time is the real enemy of
the narrator, he cites a couple more examples. First, the protagonist continually states that the
eye haunts him. And finally, when the devious deed is finally complete, he exclaims in triumph
that the old man’s “eye would trouble him no more.”
The major irony of the story, Gargano explains, is that the narrator is crushed by the
experience, but never realizes for himself what it means. Gargano concludes, therefore, that
the narrator’s “disease can be diagnosed as his refusal to accept himself as a creature caught in
the temporal net.” He wishes, ultimately, “to transcend his human limitations” (Gargano, 381).
Another last, great irony lies in the fact that “his misguided intellect and the ingenious
schemes it hatches set him more firmly on the path he strives to avoid,” says Gargano. And in
the end, “the narrator’s reliance on his spurious and concocted order collapses as he shrieks
out his confession to the police and helplessly and ignorantly submits to the ceaseless and
measured flow of time” (Gargano, 381).
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Daniel Hoffman, “Madness!”
Hoffman explores heavily the relationship between the old man and the protagonist in
his essay entitled “Madness!”
First of all, Hoffman notes that there are no parents in any of the tales of Poe. “Instead
all is symbol” (Hoffman, “Madness!”). For instance, the old man, in “The Tell-Tale Heart,”
although he is not explicitly called “father” is viewed as a threatening father-figure, Hoffman
explains.
Hoffman, in short, also says that the narrator is mad because he claims he is not.
Furthermore, the narrator claims to be without reason for murdering the old man. But
Hoffman immediately counteracts the narrator’s claim by saying that he does have a motive,
but one he cannot even admit to himself.
Nowhere in the story, Hoffman writes, is the relationship between the old man and the
narrator specifically noted. All that is mentioned is the protagonist’s dislike and even fear of
the “evil eye.” The eye, throughout the story, constantly haunts the narrator; it seems to never
take his gaze off of him. Hoffman sees this description as an allusion to a parent surveying their
child. “*H+is eye becomes the all-seeing surveillance of the child by the father, even by The
Father (that is, God). This surveillance is of course the origin of the child’s conscience, the
inculcation into his soul of the paternal principles of right and wrong. As such, the old man’s
eye becomes a ray to be feared. For if the boy deviates ever so little from the strict paths of
rectitude, it will find him out” (Hoffman, 227). Hoffman, therefore, believes that the old man
caught the young narrator in a forbidden act, perhaps even something sexual.
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Here, Hoffman ventures toward the idea of Time as an enemy of the protagonist. The
narrator fears being confined by Time, symbolic of the “vulture eye.” “Could he but rid himself
of its all-seeing scrutiny, he would then be free of his subjection to time” (Hoffman, 229) and
the judgment of the old man, which are both inescapable.
Hoffman further explores the idea of the young man being caught in the act of some
sexual situation, the most embarrassing of sins. Hoffman sees the extinguishing of the eye, the
suffocation of the old man, and the dismemberment of the body as all disguises for each other
in order to eliminate the judgment brought on the narrator by the old man. “In striking the Evil
Eye of the old man, the young madman strikes, symbolically, at his sexual power,” Hoffman
explains. To support his theory, Hoffman alludes to the story of Oedipus Rex, showing that the
blinding Oedipus endured was to rid himself of the sexual sin he partook in. The brutal
suffocation, Hoffman says, is equivalent to sexual impotence. “By inflicting this form of death
on the old man, the youth is denying his elder’s sexual power” (Hoffman, 231) thus ridding
himself of the judgmental power of someone in authority (an elder like the old man, for
example). Finally, the dismemberment of the body, Hoffman claims, is symbolic of castration,
almost a way of getting back at the old man for discovering him in some sexual sin earlier.
Hoffman concludes by remarking that both Time and Judgment, as represented by the
old man, are “inescapable,” even after the dirty deed is done.
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Conclusion
In conclusion, both critics alluded to the fact that Time is an evident symbol in Poe’s
“The Tell-Tale Heart.” They share other similar characteristics as well. Hoffman, while he
shares commonness with Gargano in regards to Time as an immortal enemy of the narrator,
explores more heavily the relationship between the old man and the protagonist. Also, like
Gargano, Hoffman, in short, also says that the narrator is mad because he claims he is not.
Gargano, however, does not believe that the narrator was caught in an indecent sexual act, as
Hoffman suggests.
Overall, the narrator in "The Tell-Tale Heart" is mad; the cause of which could be
debated to no end.
Cernek 9
“The Cask of Amontillado” Introduction
“The Cask of Amontillado,” written by Edgar Allan Poe, deals with the common, yet
unbelievable, nature of humans, which is discussed in detail in J. Rea’s critical essay. Rea argues
that Poe’s “Theory of Perversity” is the major, chilling motive behind Montresor’s murder of
Fortunato. The Theory of Perversity, constructed by Poe, in essence “covers anything a person
does because he feels he should not” (Rea, “Poe’s ‘The Cask of Amontillado’”). On the contrary,
Charles A. Sweet, Jr. attributes Montresor’s motives to Montresor despising himself. Sweet
argues that Montresor sees his faults in Fortunato, whom he desires to kill, thus ridding himself
of those faults as well. Sweet goes on to show how many parallels exist between Montresor
and Fortunato to explain his argument. Each critical view provides insight into the reasoning
behind Montresor’s murder of his good friend, Fortunato.
Cernek 10
J. Rea, “Poe’s ‘The Cask of Amontillado’”
J. Rea strongly believes that critics are missing something when analyzing Edgar Allan
Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado.” Rea does not think this is a story of revenge, as many have
come to commonly believe. “It may be that Montresor tells his listener about his revenge in
order to divert attention from the real reason for his crime . . . To find out why Montresor kills
Fortunato and why he confesses after fifty years, we may dismiss, I think, the apparent
relevancy of revenge and look for apparent irrelevancies,” says Rea.
One reason why Rea does not think revenge was the main reason for Montresor
murdering his good friend Fortunato is just that: they are friends. Montresor says many times
that Fortunato is his friend. Rea cites many examples of this friendship. For one, Fortunato
greets Montresor with excessive warmth on the night of the carnival.
Rea also cites Poe’s “Theory of Perversity” (found in Poe’s other work entitled “The Imp
of the Perverse”) as a strong reason as to why Montresor kills his friend. “A part of Poe’s
theory of perversity is that we want to hurt or to kill or to bury alive someone because he has
been good to us. It is an unbelievable desire” (Rea, 57). (This theory is seen in several of Poe’s
other works as well.) Rea goes on to say that this can be seen in the relation between parents
and children, citing Matthew Arnold as the writer of this research. It follows, then, that
Montresor killed Fortunato because he was good to him, concludes Rea. “Montresor, of
course, does not admit this, but seeks the reasonable excuse that he wanted revenge” (Rea,
58). Thus, when Montresor walls up Fortunato, it fits that this type of murder is indeed
perverse and not simply out of revenge, argues Rea.
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Furthermore, Rea writes that Poe eventually “arrives at a generalization or law that all
men have the impulse of the perverse in them.” This is clearly evident in Montresor, who
betrays his motive for killing Fortunato often. First of all, Montresor goes fifty years without
confessing the murder; however, he gave into the immediate impulse to tell even before he
committed the crime. When Fortunato says, in the caves, that he will not die from a cough,
Montresor replies, “True- true.” The impulsivity of the perverse is also something that Rea
discusses. He says that, “*t+he more we think about an impulse, the more quickly we give in to
it; but the more we do not think about it, the more we tell when we confess.” This is evident in
Montresor’s detailed account of the murder fifty years after it occurred. He clearly gives in to
the impulse of the perverse, Rea concludes. Secondly, Rea points out that Montresor seizes
Fortunato by the arm, just above the elbow, a grasp he has seen “taken only by policemen and
lovers, who feel triumph and delight in the possession of the person whom they have in their
grasp.” And after Montresor has laid the fourth tier of bricks, and Fortunato utters a noise,
Montresor pauses to enjoy the noise. Still later, Montresor stops his work yet again to mock
the yells of Fortunato behind the wall. Indeed, this is delight in the impulse of perversity at its
best, says Rea.
In conclusion, Rea takes time to write that the development of Poe’s “Theory of
Perversity” was gradual.
Poe, over time, observed this theory in all men, even himself.
Therefore, “Poe’s ‘The Cask of Amontillado’ should frighten us of ourselves” (Rea, 67).
Cernek 12
Charles A. Sweet, Jr., “Retapping Poe’s ‘Cask of Amontillado’”
Charles A. Sweet, Jr. argues in his essay on Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” that
Montresor’s murder of Fortunato is motivated by an unconscious desire to destroy a part of
himself that he despises. “Montresor unconsciously projects himself into Fortunato,” claims
Sweet.
Sweet establishes that Poe begins “this unconscious process of transference” by listing
several parallels between the two characters. First of all, both are Italian noblemen with long
heritages. Secondly, they are both connoisseurs of wine. Thirdly, both names refer to wealth.
Fourthly, both men are wearing masks at the time the story takes place, which is at the carnival.
Several other seemingly small details also occur throughout the story: each man carries a torch
in the catacombs; to fortify against the coldness and dampness of the caves, both drink of the
Medoc wine; and both men grow slightly intoxicated as the journey continues. “Their journey
culminates with a series of terrifying parallels which Poe uses now to emphasize the process of
transference that has unconsciously occurred in Montresor’s mind” (Sweet, “Retapping Poe’s
‘Cask of Amontillado’”). After Fortunato was partially walled up inside his tomb, Montresor
hears “a succession of loud and shrill screams…” to which Montresor replies: “I replied to the
yells of him who clamoured. I reechoed, I aided, I surpassed them in volume and in strength.”
Sweet views this behavior as “an unconscious attempt at cathartic exorcism of the despised
[part of himself].”
Sweet also gathers that buildings, in all of Poe’s stories, represent character’s states of
mind. Sweet claims that if indeed Montresor had wanted revenge, he could have stabbed him
in the street. However, Montresor’s choice of walling up his victim is almost a flawless
Cernek 13
revelation in itself. “The physical act of walling up an enemy in one’s home duplicates the
mental act of repressing a despised self in the unconscious…. As a Catholic Montresor knows
that suicide (the potential murder of Fortunato) is a mortal sin; thus, his unconscious dictates
that if suicide is impossible, then only repression (the premature burial) is possible” (Sweet, 11).
Instead of murdering his friend, in Montresor’s mind he is repressing the side of himself he can
no longer endure, which is represented by Fortunato.
Sweet goes on to say that repression is only temporary, however. Fifty years later
Montresor is confessing the entire murder to perhaps even a Catholic priest (“You, who so well
know the nature of my soul.”), claims Sweet.
Ultimately, Montresor is no better off than he first started, concludes Sweet. After all,
repression “is only a temporary measure” (Sweet, 12).
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Conclusion
In closing, both critical essays explored two different views on the reasoning behind
Montresor’s killing of Fortunato. While Rea blamed the Theory of Perversity, Sweet believed
that Montresor despised something in himself that he also saw in Fortunato, and the easiest
way to destroy the part he did not like was to murder his friend.
While they had differences, these two authors both agreed that revenge was not the
reason behind Fortunato's murder. In choosing to study the literature more closely than most,
they each developed probable hypotheses involving one of Poe's beloved works.
Cernek 15
Bibliography
Gargano, James W. "The Theme of Time in 'The Tell-Tale Heart'." Studies in Short Fiction
Summer 1968: 378-82.
Hoffman, Daniel. "Madness!" Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe (1972): 226-32.
Rea, J. "Poe's 'The Cask of Amontillado'." Studies in Short Fiction Fall 1966: 57-69.
Sweet, Jr., Charles A. "Retapping Poe's 'Cask of Amontillado'." Poe Studies June 1975: 10-12.
Cernek 16
Extended Bibliography
Baraban, Elena V. "The Motive for Murder in 'The Cask of Amontillado' by Edgar Allan Poe."
Rocky Mountain Review Fall 2004: 47-62.
Gargano, James W. "'The Cask of Amontillado': A Masquerade of Motive and Identity." Studies
in Short Fiction Winter 1967: 119-26.
Henninger, Francis J. "The Bouquet of Poe's Amontillado." South Atlantic Bulletin March 1970:
35-40.
Pittman, Philip McM. "Method and Motive in 'The Cask of Amontillado'." The Malahat Review
April 1975: 87-100.
Quinn, Patrick F. "That Spectre in My Path." The French Face of Edgar Poe (1957): 216-56.
Shear, Walter. "Poe's Fiction: The Hypnotic Magic of the Senses." Midwest Quarterly Spring
2006: 276-89.
Spisak, James W. "Narration as Seduction, Seduction as Narration." The CEA Critic January 1979:
26-9.