Final answer:
The heart in 'The Tell-Tale Heart' represents madness.
Step-by-step explanation:
The heart in 'The Tell-Tale Heart' represents madness.
In Edgar Allan Poe's short story, the protagonist's obsession with the old man's pale blue eye drives him to commit murder. He insists that he is not mad, however, his erratic behavior and obsession with the heartbeat sound that he believes he hears reveal his descent into madness.
This interpretation is supported by the narrator's frequent self-justifications and irrational actions, suggesting that his guilt and fear intensify his already unstable mental state.