This paper uses Lacan’s mirror stage theory to deeply analyze Allen Poe’s short story “The Tell-Tale Heart”. It reveals the distortion and conflict of the protagonist’s psychological mechanism by analyzing how he constructs his self-identity illusion. At the same time, the paper also explores the key role of other gaze in the formation of self-identity.
Cite this paper
Shao, Y. (2025). From Mirror to Shatter: A Lacanian Reading of “The Tell-Tale Heart”. Open Access Library Journal, 12, e3260. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1113260.