The Businessman by Edgar Allan Poe

A man describes his rise to success through cold, methodical violence, claiming to be a businessman of a unique sort. He justifies his brutal behavior with twisted logic and a rigid sense of time and order. The narrator’s detachment and lack of remorse paint a chilling picture of rationalized cruelty. Poe uses the monologue to explore madness, ego, and satire of industrial efficiency. It’s a dark psychological portrait of self-delusion and control.