Tell-Tale Heart
Who tells the story?
The murderer / narrator
What object is central to the story?
A mummified monkey’s paw.
What is Billy looking for when he arrives in Bath?
A place to stay.
What bird visits the narrator?
A raven.
What is suspense?
A feeling of nervousness or anticipation about what might happen next.
What part of the old man bothers the narrator?
His pale, vulture-like eye.
How many wishes does the paw grant?
Three wishes.
What makes the landlady seem unusual?
She is overly welcoming, and her house and behavior seem strange.
What word does the raven repeat?
“Nevermore.”
What is a setting?
The time and place where a story happens.
Who does the narrator kill?
The old man
What is the family’s first wish?
Two hundred pounds.
What are the names of the two previous guests in the guest book?
Christopher Mulholland and Gregory Temple.
Who is the narrator mourning?
Lenore, his lost love.
What is foreshadowing?
Hints that suggest something may happen later in a story.
Where does the narrator hide the body?
Under the floorboards.
What happens to Herbert?
He dies in an accident at work.
What strange detail does Billy notice about the pets?
They have been stuffed and preserved.
What time of year does the poem take place?
December, on a bleak winter night.
What is mood?
How the audience feels
Why does the narrator confess to the murder?
He believes he can hear the old man’s heart beating and can no longer stand the sound and his guilt.
Why does Mr. White make the final wish?
To undo his second wish and stop the returned Herbert from entering the house.
What does Billy discover about the tea?
It has a bitter almond taste, suggesting it may contain poison.
What does the raven represent in the poem?
The narrator’s grief and despair, which he cannot escape.
How can an author create psychological horror without showing a monster?
By using fear, guilt, paranoia, disturbing thoughts, uncertainty, or a character’s loss of control.