Story Thesis Cat

For this essay I decided to choose the thesis about character. I found the character in Edgar Allan Poe's Tell Tale Heart to be similar to Shepherd from Flannery O'Connors The Lame Shall Enter First. Their differences are conspicous but they all share a subtle insanity that cradles their absurd actions. Shepherd is a father who becomes obsessed with changing the ways of a delinquent child, instead of taking care of his own depressed child. He works endlessly to please a child who cares about no one, in order to alleviate his inner tribulations. Shepherds obsession with 'fixing' this kid slowly becomes a driving force against his own son, who is having thoughts of suicide in order to reach his dead mother. Yet he is so confident that he is doing the right thing, that he neglects all the damage he is causing to himself and his son. This is very similar to Edgar's Tell Tale Heart, who's main character is a man who becomes obsessed with 'fixing' the eye of an old man who lives with him. Just like Shepherd, he works tirelessly to find a way to get rid of the old man and his pesky eye. It becomes a fiery addiction that every single insane thought that slips out of his mind, is the right thing to do. I will psycho-analyze both of these interesting characters and detail their actions in more depth.