In the reminiscences of childhood, it is hard not to lend thought to the terrors that befell a room with the absence of light. Apparitions that were not there at all; the ominous ticking of a clock brought about dooming suspense. Often, it was not the physical presence or action that demanded the nervous attentiveness, but rather the suspect anticipations of the things to come. In the realm of literary criticism, these subtle elements that perform within a story are known as anti – narratives; they do what the narrative cannot. Their presence, according to Bennett and Royle, is to “fascinate and disturb.” Within “The Tell-tale Heart”, the anti – narrative aspects create a more perplexing story and thus a more effective story.