In Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart," the police suspect the narrator of a crime primarily due to his erratic behavior and the overwhelming guilt he exhibits after committing murder. When the officers arrive at his home, he tries to act calm and collected; however, his anxiety and the sound of the imagined beating heart betray him. The narrator's frantic confession and the revelation of the hidden body ultimately lead to his downfall, showcasing the psychological effects of his guilt.
Other than the title, The Telltale Head being a play on The Telltale Heart the similarities lie in The Telltale Heart having the narrator, who is presumably the murderer, being haunted by the sound of the victim's beating heart. Bart, who is also the narrator of The Telltale Head briefly, is haunted by the voice of Jebidiah Springfield.
In Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart," the police initially believe the narrator is calm and collected after he has committed murder. However, as the story progresses, they become suspicious of his erratic behavior and increasingly frantic demeanor. The narrator's overwhelming guilt manifests as the imagined sound of the beating heart, ultimately leading him to confess to the crime. Thus, while they may not suspect him at first, his own psychological unraveling reveals the truth to them.
He becomes convinced that the dead man's heart is still beating and that the police can hear it.
The narrator of "The Tell-Tale Heart" becomes angry at the police because he believes that they are lying to him. He thinks that they know that he killed the old man, and are remaining only to torture his conscience until he confesses.
A neighbor reported he heard a scream.
The narrator has to hide his crime from the police.
he hears the beating of the dead mans heart
One example of onomatopoeia in "The Tell-Tale Heart" is the sound of the old man's heart beating loudly, which is described as "thump, thump, thump" as the narrator becomes more and more agitated by the noise.
In "The Tell-Tale Heart," the narrator becomes increasingly paranoid and anxious in the presence of the police, convinced that they can hear the sound of the old man's heart beating beneath the floorboards. He ultimately confesses by revealing the location of the old man's body, betraying his guilt and mental instability.
The narrator in “The Tell-Tale Heart” gives himself up to the police because he is overcome with guilt and paranoia due to the loud beating of the old man's heart he hears after committing the murder. The guilt becomes unbearable, and he confesses to the crime in order to relieve his conscience.
In Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart," the resolution occurs when the narrator confesses to the police that he murdered the old man and buried his body beneath the floorboards. The narrator's guilt becomes overwhelming as he hears the sound of the old man's heart beating louder and louder, ultimately leading to his confession.
The narrator claimed that the old man's screams heard by a neighbor were his own screams in a dream, not the old man's. He also said that the old man had been away in the country, which was why the police were unable to find any evidence of a crime.