The murderers also shared very personal, intimate relationships with their victims. The eye is very significant as it is a key factor that leads the narrator into murder. The narrator of "The Black Cat" was also disturbed by eyes as he gouged out his own cat's eye and his new cat possessed an eye deformity. In "The Tell-Tale Heart," the entire purpose of killing the old man was to rid the narrator of his cloudy blue vulture eye. The murder victims of both stories share similar characteristics, for instance, the victims' eye is an important aspect of both. The narrators believe their mental health is critical information for the reader to grasp, causing the reader to wonder if they are really crazy after all. The narrator then proceeds to explain why this is the case, and the story provides justification for his actions. In both "The Black Cat" and "The Tell-Tale Heart," the main characters open the narratives by convincing the reader he is not mad. The stories are similar yet different in many ways and these qualities allow the reader to develop a new perspective and deeper understanding of the true meaning of insanity. Although fictional, Poe succeeds in crafting two narratives so realistic that it inflicts fear and horror to the reader. Each first person narrative tells the story of the main characters and the events that caused them to succumb to murder. "The Black Cat" and "The Tell-Tale Heart" are two of Edgar Allen Poe's most morbid, yet most captivating short stories.
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