The Tell-Tale Heart is a classic Poe story, but it is short so it leaves a lot of details unexplained. Throughout the story the narrator tries to prove that he's not a madman by explaining how he murdered an old man. That in itself should prove that this man is not mentally stable. We don't find out for sure if the narrator is a man or a woman, but there is one clue that makes me think it's a man. When the police come and don't find anything they sit and talk casually with the narrator. During this time period (1830s or 40s) I don't think they would stay to talk and joke with a woman. The story might be the narrator's confession or statement to a court. Maybe they're trying to put him in a mental institution.
Then there is the problem of the source of the beating heart. One good guess-at least as to part of it- is that there was an infestation of death-watch beetles at this time. These beetles burrow in walls or woodwork and make a noise that sounds like the ticking of a watch and was "supposed to predict the death of some one of the family in the house in which it is heard." The narrator would have been able to hear the sound clearly because he said that he had very acute hearing. So it's possible that when he admitted to the murder at the end because he thought he heard the man's heart, it was actually the death-watch. The beetle could have even been in the floor, or maybe it was attracted to the body, so the sound would have come from that direction. This, mixed with the narrator's guilt, could have caused him to believe it was the sound of the heart.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Short Story Draft
When Hopie woke up, the room was pitch black. She sat there for a minute, unsure of what to do. Then she felt around for the door, reached her hand out of her cage, and undid the latch. It was only around 2 in the morning at this time, on a warm night in early August. Of course, Hopie didn't know any of this. All she knew was that it was hot and boring inside the little apartment. She scampered over to the unlocked window and pushed it open, searching the clear night. She leaped off the windowsill and climbed down the thick vines on the side of the building. Walking on her knuckles and feet, Hopie made her way down the alley behind the building, as the streetlamps cast their yellow light down on her. She then crossed a virtually deserted Montrose Avenue and continued to a dark side street, looking for something tasty to eat.
Back in the apartment, Nick Potetti woke up to a strong breeze on his face. He noticed the open window, then saw the empty cage in the corner. His other rhesus monkey, named Marley, was still safely sleeping in her own cage. Nick was not very worried, though. He knew Hopie had gotten out before and found her way safely back home. He even let her sit out on the railing of the deck, despite complaints from neighbors. Nick was a well-meaning man, but he generally didn't think things through. He left the window open and went back to bed, believing Hopie would find her way back soon. He wasn't completely careless though, because he would never let anything happen to his monkeys. They were like his children.
A few hours later, at around 8 a.m., Police Lt. Roger Bay received a complaint about a monkey wandering around in a backyard near Berteau and Lincoln. Lt. Bay hated these kinds of calls. First of all, he couldn't stand pets. To him they were just an annoyance. He also thought he had much more important things to do than catch a monkey. And he probably did.
As Hopie continued wandering around Ravenswood she took in all the strange new sights, sounds, and smells. She loved the sunny morning, which was getting warm, but not too hot yet. Birds and squirrels were all over, and there were plenty of ants to pick off the trees to eat. By this time, Hopie was in the middle of Welles Park. She looked around and realized she was in huge expanse of grass. She had never seen such a big open area before and it scared her a little. She began to think of home and headed off in that direction.
By now, though she didn't know it, this little "escaped" monkey had created a lot of confusion and excitement. Lt. Bay had had to call in Animal Control to aid him in his search, and there was a full scale team with nets and tranquilizers. It was almost like they were on the hunt for Al Capone. On Hopie's Winchester block, there was a flurry of activity. Reporters and cameramen from networks like ABC or the Chicago Tribune interviewed Mr. Potetti and neighbors. Kids from the block ran back and forth behind the cameras, trying to get whatever moment of TV time they could. When Hopie arrived to this scene she was frightened again, and tried to stay away from the commotion. To do this, she climbed up onto the houses, jumping from roof to roof and sometimes peeking into windows along the way. She decided it wasn't a good time to go home yet, and sneaked away along Sunnyside Ave. She attracted a lot of attention by that little feat, but the search team wasn't close enough to get there before she headed off again.
The search team soon arrived on the block and people directed them east, in the direction Hopie ran off to. It was already early afternoon by this time, so Hopie was getting tired and starting to slow down. Finally, the team spotted her in an alley near Sunnyside and Clark. Within seconds, Hopie was surrounded and, understanably, very scared. One of the Animal Control officers reached out with her net and snatched up the little monkey, getting bitten in the process. No harm was done, and soon Hopie was back in the arms of her owner Nick. The three of them lived happily ever after.
Back in the apartment, Nick Potetti woke up to a strong breeze on his face. He noticed the open window, then saw the empty cage in the corner. His other rhesus monkey, named Marley, was still safely sleeping in her own cage. Nick was not very worried, though. He knew Hopie had gotten out before and found her way safely back home. He even let her sit out on the railing of the deck, despite complaints from neighbors. Nick was a well-meaning man, but he generally didn't think things through. He left the window open and went back to bed, believing Hopie would find her way back soon. He wasn't completely careless though, because he would never let anything happen to his monkeys. They were like his children.
A few hours later, at around 8 a.m., Police Lt. Roger Bay received a complaint about a monkey wandering around in a backyard near Berteau and Lincoln. Lt. Bay hated these kinds of calls. First of all, he couldn't stand pets. To him they were just an annoyance. He also thought he had much more important things to do than catch a monkey. And he probably did.
As Hopie continued wandering around Ravenswood she took in all the strange new sights, sounds, and smells. She loved the sunny morning, which was getting warm, but not too hot yet. Birds and squirrels were all over, and there were plenty of ants to pick off the trees to eat. By this time, Hopie was in the middle of Welles Park. She looked around and realized she was in huge expanse of grass. She had never seen such a big open area before and it scared her a little. She began to think of home and headed off in that direction.
By now, though she didn't know it, this little "escaped" monkey had created a lot of confusion and excitement. Lt. Bay had had to call in Animal Control to aid him in his search, and there was a full scale team with nets and tranquilizers. It was almost like they were on the hunt for Al Capone. On Hopie's Winchester block, there was a flurry of activity. Reporters and cameramen from networks like ABC or the Chicago Tribune interviewed Mr. Potetti and neighbors. Kids from the block ran back and forth behind the cameras, trying to get whatever moment of TV time they could. When Hopie arrived to this scene she was frightened again, and tried to stay away from the commotion. To do this, she climbed up onto the houses, jumping from roof to roof and sometimes peeking into windows along the way. She decided it wasn't a good time to go home yet, and sneaked away along Sunnyside Ave. She attracted a lot of attention by that little feat, but the search team wasn't close enough to get there before she headed off again.
The search team soon arrived on the block and people directed them east, in the direction Hopie ran off to. It was already early afternoon by this time, so Hopie was getting tired and starting to slow down. Finally, the team spotted her in an alley near Sunnyside and Clark. Within seconds, Hopie was surrounded and, understanably, very scared. One of the Animal Control officers reached out with her net and snatched up the little monkey, getting bitten in the process. No harm was done, and soon Hopie was back in the arms of her owner Nick. The three of them lived happily ever after.
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