Symbolism In Tell-Tale Heart And Black Cat

If you were an insane person, would you do anything to proof you aren't insane? In Edgar Allen Poe's short stories “Tell-Tale Heart” and “Black Cat”, Poe creates mood using symbolism, first person point of view and repetition. These two stories have similar and different aspects.

In both stories the eye is a significant symbol. In the Tell-Tale Heart it is what makes the narrator kill the old man and in the Black Cat the missing eye is what reminds him of the old cat and makes him mad at the new cat. Also in the Black Cat the cat itself symbolises that something bad will happen. In the beginning the narrator's wife states that all black cats are witches in disguise. This makes the mood dark and mysterious.

In both stories Poe uses first person