“The Tell-Tale Heart is one of Edgar Allan Poe's greatest fictional short stories. He is known for his disgusting and senseless homicide; a very wild and exciting story. Similarly, Nathaniel Hawthorne's well-known novel, The Scarlet Letter, is famous for its frankness about sexual conflict. The two writings possess similarities with respect to altered characters, connected symbolism, and important midpoints. Because of these comparisons, it is quite certain that Hawthorne found inspiration to write The Scarlet Letter after reading "The Tell Tale-Heart." Edger Allan Poe is one of the most famous and controversial authors of many short stories and novels. It is generally known for its gothic genre which deals primarily with the darker elements as well as the supernatural; including a sense of horror, supernatural and darkness. Additionally, elements like the setting tend to appear dark with the incorporation of rain and storms. The tone and feeling of his stories are mysterious and arouse suspense and fear. Poe is not like other authors who end their stories with a happy ending; on the contrary, the ending of his work is horrible and generally does not allow the reader to conclude. Because of the singularity of his writing, critics place him “in the first rank of American artists” (Rahn). Common themes in Poe's work are murder, revenge, and madness. “The Tell-Tale Heart” is one of his most popular gothic writings in which the narrator fights to prove his sanity rather than his innocence. In his late teens, Nathaniel Hawthorne refused to flourish in a regular profession: "I do not want to be a doctor and live on the diseases of men, nor a minister to live on their sins, nor a lawyer and live off their quarrels. So, I don't see that I have anything left other than to be... middle of paper ...... to write this novel was to reveal the hypocrisy of a puritanical life. He wanted to convey a moral message and psychological complexity. The Scarlet Letter is perhaps one of the few novels that will continue to be taught in literature because it deals with sin, punishment, and guilt. Works Cited Hawthorne, Nathaniel. “The Scarlet Letter”. American Literature: Volume One. Ed. William E. Cain. New York: Pearson, 2004. 809-813. PrintKopley, Richard. "Hawthorne transplants and transforms 'The Tell-Tale Heart'". GALE Studies in American Fiction 23.2 (1995): 231-234 “Nathaniel Hawthorne-Biography.” The European Higher School. Internet. May 21. 2014.Poe, Edgar A. “The Tell-Tale Heart.” American Literature: Volume One. Ed. William E. Cain. New York: Pearson, 2004. 809-813. PrintRahn, Josh. "Romanticism". The Literary Network. Jalac Inc. (2011). Internet. May 21. 2014.