In the end, the narrator's own psychological torment gets the better of him. He can no longer bear the perceived sound of the heart and breaks down, revealing his crime. This shows the power of guilt and the fragility of the human mind.
The setting of the house, being dark and quiet, creates a spooky mood. The stillness makes any little sound stand out, like the old man's heartbeat. It makes the whole situation seem more tense and nerve - wracking.
The setting of the story, that old, dilapidated house, is key to the mood. It gives a feeling of being cut off from the outside world. The dim lighting and the creaky floors make it seem like a place full of secrets. It makes the reader feel as if they are in a place where something bad is bound to happen. This sense of foreboding is what makes the mood so tense and full of horror.
The narrator seems insane. He constantly tries to prove his sanity while his actions and thoughts clearly show the opposite. For instance, he murders the old man just because of his eye.
It's a short story because it has a concise plot and a relatively limited number of characters and events. The story unfolds quickly and gets to the point without extensive elaboration.
The story is horror because of the narrator's unstable mind and the way the heart's beating haunts them. The suspense and the psychological terror make it a perfect horror tale. Also, the element of being unable to escape the consequences of one's actions adds to the horror.
The author creates a tense mood through the narrator's erratic behavior. The narrator's over - detailed descriptions of his actions and his constant attempts to prove his sanity actually make the reader feel unease. For example, when he describes how he stalked the old man every night, it builds a sense of dread.
Well, it qualifies as Gothic fiction mainly due to several factors. Firstly, the intense psychological drama of the narrator creates a sense of unease. Then there's the creepy atmosphere and the theme of guilt and madness, which are common in Gothic works.
It represents the horror genre through the disturbing nature of the narrator. His irrational behavior and the violent act of murder he commits create a sense of horror. For example, the way he dismembers the old man's body is quite horrifying.
One similarity is the presence of secrets. In 'The Tell - Tale Heart', the narrator has a huge secret that drives him crazy. In Riverdale, the characters are always hiding things from each other, like Archie hiding his relationship problems or Betty hiding her family secrets.
It makes the reader feel a sense of dread and unease. The narrator's breakdown is so intense that it draws the reader into his madness.