Connection of “The Tell-tale Heart” with Poe’s Life Experiences
Edgar Allan Poe, the son of actor and actress David Poe Jr. and Elizabeth Poe, was born in 1809 on the 19th of January. Just before the age of three Poe had lost his parents, and lived most of his life with Frances and John Allan, a successful tobacco vendor. Throughout his life Poe was often betrayed by many individuals he knew. One of which included, John Allan. John Allan acted as a father figure for Poe, as a father one would expect them to help their child succeed and help them through difficult times. This however was not the case in the relationship between Poe and John Allan. Poe was able to go to many great schools, and in 1825 was able to go the University of Virginia. “While there he distinguished himself academically but was forced to leave after less than a year because of bad debts and inadequate financial support from Allan”. Even though Allan was a successful vendor, he chose not to financially support Poe. Throughout his life Allan was often a barrier and the root cause of most of his problems. Resulting in Poe being left to deal with his own problems, which strained the relationship between Poe and Allan.
Right before the birth of Poe, America also faced a similar problem. Burr Aaron, the son of a president, born in 1756 on the 6th of February. The leader of the Democratic Republican Party, which was originally the Republican Party, who in 1800 ran for the president with Thomas Jefferson, but tied for votes and became the vice president was involved in a conspiracy which led to his arrest for treason. “His plan, allegedly, was to either establish a separate republic in the Southwest or to seize land in Spanish America”. Being both an American citizen and a government official from America, Burr still decided to betray his country to best fit his wants. However he was not able to complete his plan successfully as his colleague, James Wilkinson, had already informed Jefferson of the plans.
In both the author’s life and time period, it is clearly evident that individuals often betrayed others including those they had a close relationship with. This included both personal and professional relationships. A similar case can also be seen in the story “The Tell-Tale Heart”, written by Edgar Allan Poe. “The Tell-Tale Heart”, is a story about the narrator who claims to love an older man. “Passion there was none. I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult”. This man however had a “eye of a vulture” that the narrator was often disturbed by and feared. This fear led to the narrator murdering the man he had once claimed to have loved. As seen in the author’s life, time period and story it is evident that this piece of literature was influenced by the interactions and experiences that the narrator had, these specific interactions involved acts of betrayal. In Poe’s life, Allan had often betrayed him as father, and did not provide for him nor support him. Around Edgar Allan Poe’s time period, Burr had betrayed his country for his own selfish wants. This can also be seen in the story that Poe had written, which was an example of the betrayal of love. As the narrator murders the man that he had claimed to have loved.
All in all, the experiences and events that had taken place in Edgar Allan Poe’s life have a clear connection and influence on the story “The Tell-Tale Heart”.
