However, the sound of the heartbeat suggests the representation of the narrator’s guilt.
As the stronger the sound goes, the guilt also grows stronger, and forces the narrator to confess his murder. Villains I shrieked, dissemble no more I
admit the deed --tear up the planks here, here --It is the beating of his hideous heartPoe,1992:96
C. The Revelation of the Dynamic of the Narrator’s Unconscious Mind
through the Symbols in the Story
In the story the narrator is presented as an emotionally unstable person, and his unstable emotion made him an unreliable narrator. In the
story, for example, he claimed that he loves the old man. “…I loved the old
man. He had never wronged me. He ha d never given me insult…”
Poe,1992:92.
This quotation, suggests the absence of the narrator’s contempt towards the old man. However, there are other proves which contains his
dazzling characteristics.
“I think it was his eye Yes, it was this He had the eye of a vulture -- a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me, my
blood ran cold; and so by degrees --very gradually --I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye
forever.”Poe,1992:92
From quotations above, the narrator’s true feeling towards the old man can be seen. Although the narrator says that he’s afraid of the old man’s eye,
the evidence proof otherwise. If the narrator intimidated by th e old man’s
eye, it reasonable to say that the narrator is also intimidated by the old man.
In the previous quotation, the narrator’s fear toward the old man’s eye
can be seen. The narrator’s reaction towards the old man’s eye can be seen through the use
of the word “vulture” as in “The eye of the vulture” which represents death. These feelings lead into an outlet of repressed emotion
which can be gradually influenced by the narrator’s unconscious mind.
The id of the narrator played its major role where the narrator ’s
unconscious mind takes over his conscious mind. Since it is determined that the narrator also intimidated by the old man, he signifies the old man as
symbol of a way to escape death. Therefore, he willingly commits the murder. Thus, the murder of the old man by the narrator is a clear proof that
the id dominates the narrator’s mind and it clouds the narrator’s logic.
Moreover, this action can also be the proof of the outlet of the repressed emotions towards the old man by
narrator’s unconscious mind. This behavior can be seen as the evidence of the dynamic of the
narrator’s unconscious mind. The dynamic of the narrator’s unconscious mind in the story is analyzed t
hrough the application of Freud’s id, ego, and superego theory. According to Freud 1975, id is the primary instinct of
survival. Therefore, the murder of the old man is an action that represents the domination of id.
The narrator perceptions of death worsen by the image of “vulture” in the
old man’s eye. Therefore, it is expected that he will produce bizarre decision
which considers irrational for a sane person, such as desire to “escapes death”. The narrator’s desire to “escapes death” can be seen in the quotation
below:
“It was open --wide, wide open --and I grew furious as I gazed upon it. I saw it with perfect distinctness --all a dull blue, with a
hideous veil over it that chilled the very marrow in my bones; but I could see nothing else of the old mans face or person: for I
had directed the ray as if by instinct, precisely upon the damned
spot.”Poe,1992:94
From the quotation above, it suggests that the narrator’s id is on the rise and it shows its domination through the
narrator’s actions. For example:
“every night, about midnight, I turned the latch of his door and opened it --oh so gently And then, when I had made an
opening sufficient for my head, I put in a dark lantern, all closed, closed, that no light shone out, and then I thrust in my
head. Oh, you would have laughed to see how cunningly I thrust it in I moved it slowly --very, very slowly, so that I
might not disturb the old mans sleep.” Poe,1992:92
The quotation above is the example of the narrator action that based on what his id wants. Moreover, the id eventually influenced the narrator to
murder the old man. However, from this elaboration, the dynamic of the narrator’s unconscious mind still unclear. As we know, ego, according to
Freud 1975 is the decision maker. Therefore, the domination of the id in the narrator’s unconscious mind leads the ego to fulfill the id’s desire. The worse
outcome of id domination towards ego is the narrator’s act of the murder.
The narrator’s transformation can also be seen from the presence of “the watch”. “The watch”, signifies the countdown of the narrator’s fall, and the
