The Tell-Tale Heart

What are the motifs in The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe?

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Time is a recurring idea through the story. A secondary theme in "The Tell-Tale Heart" is the role of time as a pervasive force throughout the story. Some critics note that the narrator is obsessed with time. While the entire narrative is told as one long flashback, the narrator is painfully aware of the agonizing effect on him of time. Although the action in this narrative occurs mainly during one long night, the numerous references the narrator makes to time show that the horror he experiences has been building over time.