The Tell-Tale Heart Story

 The Tell-Tale Heart Story:

          "The Tell-Tale Heart" is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1843. It tells the story of an unnamed narrator who is driven to murder an old man with a "vulture eye," who lives with him. The narrator insists that he is not mad and that his reason for killing the old man is because of the man's eye, which makes him uncomfortable.

After committing the murder, the narrator hides the old man's body beneath the floorboards of his house and tries to convince the police, who come to investigate, that he is innocent. However, the narrator's guilt and paranoia drive him to hear a recurring heartbeat, which he believes to be the old man's ghost. This ultimately leads to his confession and arrest.

The story has been interpreted as an exploration of the nature of guilt and the psyche of the criminal. Poe uses the narrator's own words and actions to reveal that he is not only guilty of murder, but also insane. The recurring heartbeat, or the "tell-tale heart," can be seen as a symbol for the narrator's conscience, which ultimately leads to his downfall. 

The moral lesson in the story is the impact of guilt and can drive one insane. It also can be seen as a commentary on the dangers of repression and the consequences of giving in to one's darker impulses.