Question

In lines 151 through 160 of The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe, the narrator makes his case to the police and thinks he has convinced them of his innocence. What happens next that leads the narrator to finally confess, and what does this suggest about his mental state?

(A) The narrator hears the beating heart of the old man and is driven mad by the guilt. (B) The police find the old man's body under the floorboards and the narrator confesses in order to avoid punishment. (C) The narrator realizes that he has made a mistake and confesses in order to clear his conscience. (D) The narrator is tricked by the police into confessing to the crime.

Answer 1

The narrator in 'The Tell-Tale Heart' hears what he believes is the old man's heart beating under the floorboards, which leads him to confess to his crime out of guilt and psychological torment.

Step-by-step explanation:

In lines 151 through 160 of The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe, after convincing the police of his innocence, the narrator is internally tormented by the sound of what he believes is the old man's heart still beating beneath the floorboards. This hallucination drives him to the point of madness, and he cannot bear the psychological weight of his guilt any longer. Consequently, he ends up confessing to the police.

Considering the options provided: (A) The narrator hears the beating heart of the old man and is driven mad by the guilt is the correct choice. This reaction indicates a significant deterioration of the narrator's mental state, suggesting that he is plagued by guilt and perhaps experiencing auditory hallucinations, a sign of a severe mental disturbance.