Ed Allan

Edgar All Poe

P

T rue!—nervous—very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am! but why
will you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses—not
destroyed—not dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard What details in the
all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, picture help create
suspense?
then, am I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthily—how calmly I can tell
you the whole story. acute (E-kyLtP) adj.
It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain; but once sharp; keen
conceived, it haunted me day and night. Object there was none. Passion there conceive (kEn-sCv) v. to
was none. I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given think of
10 me insult. For his gold I had no desire. I think it was his eye! yes, it was this! He
had the eye of a vulture—a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell
upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees—very gradually—I made up
my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever.
Now this is the point. You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you
should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded—with what
caution—with what foresight—with what dissimulation1 I went to work! a a EVALUATE
I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed NARRATOR
Reread lines 1–16. On the
him. And every night, about midnight, I turned the latch of his door and opened
basis of what he plans
it—oh, so gently! And then, when I had made an opening sufficient for my head, to do, decide whether
20 I put in a dark lantern, all closed, closed, so that no light shone out, and then I the narrator’s opinion of
thrust in my head. Oh, you would have laughed to see how cunningly I thrust himself makes you trust
it in! I moved it slowly—very, very slowly, so that I might not disturb the old him more or less.

1. dissimulation (dG-sGmQyE-lAPshEn): a hiding of one’s true feelings.

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 man’s sleep. It took me an hour to place my whole head within the opening so
far that I could see him as he lay upon his bed. Ha!—would a madman have
been so wise as this? And then, when my head was well in the room, I undid the
lantern cautiously—oh, so cautiously—cautiously (for the hinges creaked)—I
undid it just so much that a single thin ray fell upon the vulture eye. And this
I did for seven long nights—every night just at midnight—but I found the eye
always closed; and so it was impossible to do the work; for it was not the old man
30 who vexed me, but his Evil Eye. And every morning, when the day broke, I went vex (vDks) v. to disturb;
boldly into the chamber, and spoke courageously to him, calling him by name in to annoy
a hearty tone, and inquiring how he had passed the night. So you see he would
have been a very profound old man, indeed, to suspect that every night, just at
twelve, I looked in upon him while he slept. b b SUSPENSE
Upon the eighth night I was more than usually cautious in opening the Note the actions the
door. A watch’s minute hand moves more quickly than did mine. Never before narrator repeats. Why
does this repetition
that night had I felt the extent of my own powers—of my sagacity.2 I could
create a sense of dread?
scarcely contain my feelings of triumph. To think that there I was, opening the
door, little by little, and he not even to dream of my secret deeds or thoughts. I
40 fairly chuckled at the idea; and perhaps he heard me; for he moved on the bed
suddenly, as if startled. Now you may think that I drew back—but no. His
room was as black as pitch with the thick darkness (for the shutters were close
fastened, through fear of robbers), and so I knew that he could not see the
opening of the door, and I kept pushing it on steadily, steadily.
I had my head in, and was about to open the lantern, when my thumb
slipped upon the tin fastening, and the old man sprang up in the bed, crying
out—“Who’s there?”
I kept quite still and said nothing. For a whole hour I did not move a c SUSPENSE
muscle, and in the meantime I did not hear him lie down. He was still sitting In what way does the
50 up in the bed listening,—just as I have done, night after night, hearkening to characters’ inaction
the death watches3 in the wall. c create tension?
Presently I heard a slight groan, and I knew it was the groan of mortal terror.
It was not a groan of pain or grief—oh, no!—it was the low, stifled sound stifled (stFPfEld) adj.
that arises from the bottom of the soul when overcharged with awe. I knew smothered stifle v.
the sound well. Many a night, just at midnight, when all the world slept, it has
welled up from my own bosom, deepening, with its dreadful echo, the terrors
that distracted me. I say I knew it well. I knew what the old man felt, and
pitied him, although I chuckled at heart. I knew that he had been lying awake
ever since the first slight noise, when he had turned in the bed. His fears had
60 been ever since growing upon him. He had been trying to fancy them causeless,
but could not. He 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.” Yes, he has been trying to comfort himself with
these suppositions; but he had found all in vain. All in vain; because Death,

2. sagacity (sE-gBsPG-tC): sound judgment.

3. death watches: deathwatch beetles—insects that make a tapping sound with their heads.

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 in approaching him, had stalked with his black shadow before him, and
enveloped the victim. And it was the mournful influence of the unperceived
shadow that caused him to feel—although he neither saw nor heard—to feel
the presence of my head within the room.
When I had waited a long time, very patiently, without hearing him lie
70 down, I resolved to open a little—a very, very little crevice in the lantern. So I crevice (krDvPGs) n. crack
opened it—you cannot imagine how stealthily, stealthily—until, at length, a
stealthily (stDlPthE-lC)
single dim ray, like the thread of the spider, shot from out the crevice and fell
adv. cautiously; secretly
full upon the vulture eye.
It was open—wide, wide open—and I grew furious as I gazed upon it. I
saw it with perfect distinctness—all a dull blue, with a hideous veil over it that
chilled the very marrow in my bones; but I could see nothing else of the old
man’s face or person: for I had directed the ray as if by instinct, precisely upon
the damned spot.
And now have I not told you that what you mistake for madness is but over-
80 acuteness of the senses?—now, I say, there came to my ears a low, dull, quick
sound, such as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton. I knew that sound
well too. It was the beating of the old man’s heart. It increased my fury, as the
beating of a drum stimulates the soldier into courage. d d EVALUATE
But even yet I refrained and kept still. I scarcely breathed. I held the NARRATOR
lantern motionless. I tried how steadily I could maintain the ray upon the What does the narrator
claim to be hearing?
eye. Meantime the hellish tattoo4 of the heart increased. It grew quicker and
Decide whether you
quicker, and louder and louder every instant. The old man’s terror must have think he is correct.
been extreme! It grew louder, I say, louder every moment!—do you mark me
well? I have told you that I am nervous: so I am. And now at the dead hour of
90 the night, amid the dreadful silence of that old house, so strange a noise as this
excited me to uncontrollable terror. Yet, for some minutes longer I refrained
and stood still. But the beating grew louder, louder! I thought the heart must
burst. And now a new anxiety seized me—the sound would be heard by a
neighbor! The old man’s hour had come! With a loud yell, I threw open the
lantern and leaped into the room. He shrieked once—once only. In an instant
I dragged him to the floor, and pulled the heavy bed over him. I then smiled
gaily, to find the deed so far done. But, for many minutes, the heart beat on e SUSPENSE
with a muffled sound. This, however, did not vex me; it would not be heard Reread lines 84–102.
What is the scariest or
through the wall. At length it ceased. The old man was dead. I removed the most exciting part of
100 bed and examined the corpse. Yes, he was stone, stone dead. I placed my hand this paragraph? Tell
upon the heart and held it there many minutes. There was no pulsation. He what details contribute
was stone dead. His eye would trouble me no more. e to this feeling.
If still you think me mad, you will think so no longer when I describe the
wise precautions I took for the concealment of the body. The night waned,5
and I worked hastily, but in silence. First of all I dismembered the corpse. I cut
off the head and the arms and the legs.

4. hellish tattoo: awful drumming.

5. waned: approached its end.

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 What can you infer
from the character’s
expression in each of
the three panels?

Language Coach
Syntax The way words
are put together in a
I then took up three planks from the flooring of the chamber, and sentence is called syntax.
deposited all between the scantlings.6 I then replaced the boards so cleverly, so Poe often uses unusual
cunningly, that no human eye—not even his—could have detected anything syntax. Reread line 112.
110 wrong. There was nothing to wash out—no stain of any kind—no blood-spot What is another way to
whatever. I had been too wary for that. A tub had caught all—ha! ha! say “When I made an
end of these labors”?
When I made an end of these labors, it was four o’clock—still dark as
midnight. As the bell sounded the hour, there came a knocking at the street
door. I went down to open it with a light heart,—for what had I now to fear?

6. scantlings: small wooden beams supporting the floor.

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 There entered three men, who introduced themselves, with perfect suavity,7 as
officers of the police. A shriek had been heard by a neighbor during the night:
suspicion of foul play had been aroused; information had been lodged at the
police office, and they (the officers) had been deputed8 to search the premises.
I smiled,—for what had I to fear? I bade the gentlemen welcome. The
120 shriek, I said, was my own in a dream. The old man, I mentioned, was absent
in the country. I took my visitors all over the house. I bade them search—
search well. I led them, at length, to his chamber. I showed them his treasures,
secure, undisturbed. In the enthusiasm of my confidence, I brought chairs into
the room, and desired them here to rest from their fatigues, while I myself, in
the wild audacity of my perfect triumph, placed my own seat upon the very audacity (ô-dBsPG-tC) n.
spot beneath which reposed9 the corpse of the victim. shameless daring or
The officers were satisfied. My manner had convinced them. I was singularly boldness
at ease. They sat, and while I answered cheerily, they chatted of familiar
things. But, ere long, I felt myself getting pale and wished them gone. My head
130 ached, and I fancied a ringing in my ears: but still they sat and still chatted.
The ringing became more distinct:—it continued and became more distinct:
I talked more freely to get rid of the feeling: but it continued and gained
definitiveness—until at length, I found that the noise was not within my ears.
No doubt I now grew very pale;—but I talked more fluently, and with a
heightened voice. Yet the sound increased—and what could I do? It was a
low, dull, quick sound—much such a sound as a watch makes when enveloped
in cotton. I gasped for breath—and yet the officers heard it not. I talked
more quickly—more vehemently; but the noise steadily increased. I arose vehemently
and argued about trifles, in a high key and with violent gesticulations,10 but (vCPE-mEnt-lC) adv. with
140 the noise steadily increased. Why would they not be gone? I paced the floor intense emotion
to and fro with heavy strides, as if excited to fury by the observation of the
men—but the noise steadily increased. What could I do? I foamed—I raved—I
swore. I swung the chair upon which I had been sitting, and grated it upon
the boards, but the noise arose over all and continually increased. It grew derision (dG-rGzhPEn) n.
louder—louder—louder! And still the men chatted pleasantly, and smiled. ridicule
Was it possible they heard not?—no, no! They heard!—they suspected!—they
hypocritical
knew!—they were making a mockery of my horror!—this I thought, and this I (hGpQE-krGtPG-kEl) adj. false
think. But anything was better than this agony! Anything was more tolerable or deceptive
than this derision! I could bear those hypocritical smiles no longer! I felt that
150 I must scream or die!—and now—again!—hark! louder! louder! louder!— f f SUSPENSE
“Villains!” I shrieked, “dissemble11 no more! I admit the deed!—tear up the Think about the
planks!—here, here!—it is the beating of his hideous heart!”  emotions that the
narrator is feeling. How
does Poe help the reader
feel the same way?

7. suavity (swäPvG-tC): graceful politeness.

8. deputed: appointed as a representative.
9. reposed: rested.
10. gesticulations (jD-stGkQyE-lAPshEns): energetic gestures of the hands or arms.
11. dissemble: pretend.

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