Final answer:
In Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Tell-Tale Heart,' the noise refers to the beating heart sound, which becomes a symbol of the narrator's guilt and paranoia. This auditory hallucination serves to heighten the tension and suspense in the story.
Step-by-step explanation:
The noise in the tell-tale heart is the beating heart sound. In Edgar Allan Poe's short story 'The Tell-Tale Heart,' the narrator is haunted by the sound of the old man's heart beating, which grows louder and more intense as the story progresses. This sound becomes a symbol of the narrator's guilt and paranoia.
The beating heart sound represents the narrator's guilty conscience and his fear of being caught for the murder he has committed. It is an auditory hallucination that serves to heighten the tension and suspense in the story.
For example, in the story, the narrator says, 'It was the beating of the old man's heart. It increased my fury, as the beating of a drum stimulates the soldier into courage.' This quote shows how the sound of the heart drives the narrator to madness and ultimately leads to his confession.