The Story:
* The Narrator: An unnamed man tells the story, claiming he is perfectly sane but obsessed with the "evil eye" of an old man he lives with.
* The Plan: The narrator decides to kill the old man to rid himself of the eye's "vulture" gaze. He carefully plans the murder, sneaking into the old man's room each night for a week, watching him sleep.
* The Murder: On the eighth night, the narrator suffocates the old man with his own pillow. He dismembers the body and hides it under the floorboards.
* The Police Arrive: The narrator believes his plan is perfect, but his nerves betray him. He hears a faint beating sound, which he insists is the old man's heart still pulsing beneath the floorboards. This sound grows louder and louder, driving the narrator mad.
* The Confession: He confesses to the police, believing they can hear the "heart" too.
Themes:
* Guilt and Madness: The story explores the psychological torment of guilt and how it can drive someone to madness.
* The Power of Imagination: The narrator's obsession with the eye becomes his undoing, as his imagination amplifies the sounds and intensifies his paranoia.
* The Unreliability of the Narrator: The story is told from the perspective of an unreliable narrator, who is clearly delusional. This leaves the reader questioning the true nature of events.
The "Tell-Tale Heart" is a gripping tale of paranoia, guilt, and the unsettling power of the human mind.