Obsession is a “state in which someone thinks about someone or something constantly or frequently, especially in a way that is not normal » (Merriam Webster Dictionary). Obsession plays a key role in Edgar Allen Poe's short story The Tell-Tale Heart. Poe is known as one of the sickest and most twisted writers of his time. In fact, many argue that he still holds a place in this category compared to modern writers. The obsession leads the narrator to commit a crime that completely calls his morality into question. Poe uses different symbols throughout The Tell-Tale Heart, showing not only his fears, but also his obsession with death itself. These symbols include the old man's "evil eye," time, the heart, and the defense that he is not crazy. It is fair to assume that the old man and the narrator are neighbors in a mental institution. The “evil eye” and time in The Tell-Tale Heart are the main obsessions of the story. The narrator explains this eye by stating: “He had the eye of a vulture – a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Every time it fell on me, my blood ran cold…” (Poe 2). The old man's eye drove him so mad that it led him to kill a man he claimed to have loved. The "evil eye" refers not only to the old man's eye, but also to the "me", as in the narrator himself. This ties directly into the obsession with time that is often mentioned throughout the story. The narrator believes that the only way to beat time is to destroy yourself. May explains in his analysis "The Tell-Tale Heart" that "...saving the self from time by destroying itself is a paradox that the narrator can only resolve by displacing his need to destroy himself (the I) into a need." to destroy the old man's eye” (12). The narrator, in the end, destroys himself by killing the old... middle of paper ... and considers himself a true genius for it” (Warpool 2). The author helps people understand that he meticulously planned this murder and is not at all deranged, but, in some sense, a genius. This raises an important point; Is Poe implying that the narrator is not crazy, but this act is actually like any other premeditated murder? Indeed, it is a point to consider, but early in the story the narrator states: “Illness had sharpened my senses – it had not destroyed them – and had not dulled them. Above all, the sense of hearing was acute. I have heard all things in heaven and on earth. I have heard many things in hell” (Poe 1). The narrator explains his illness at the beginning of the story, which leads to the conclusion that he is indeed crazy. Yes, it's obvious he's planning the murder, but this helps prove he's not as crazy as he claims..