Tell Tale Heart

The story "The Tell-Tale Heart" was written by Edgar Allan Poe. In this story he goes inside the mind of a madman and lets the reader understand what motivates his crime. Edgar Allan Poe is successful in showing the reader what the inner workings of a madman's brain are like. Rather than watching the action from the outside we are allowed to go inside the madman's head and see the world the twisted way he does. The author not only makes us understand an individual who is very different than the reader but is successful in making the reader feel some sympathy for such an obviously sick individual.

By using the first person and letting the reader see inside the mind of a mad man
Edgar Allan Poe reveals how a mentally unstable person can convince himself to commit a horrible crime. On the first page he denies he is mad,
"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 .... I was ...