In his short story "The Fall of the House of Usher", Edgar Allen Poe presents his reader
with an intricately suspenseful plot filled with a foreboding sense of destruction. Poe
uses several literary devices, among the most prevalent, however are his morbid imagery
and eerie parallelism. Hidden in the malady of the main character are several different
themes, which are all slightly connected yet inherently different.
Poe begins the story by placing the narrator in front of the decrepit, decaying
mansion of Roderick Usher. Usher summoned his childhood friend, the narrator, to his
home by sending a letter detailing only a minor illness. After the narrator arrives and
sees the condition of the house he becomes increasingly superstitious. When the narrator
first sees his host he describes his morbid appearance and it arouses his superstition
even more. Over a period of time the narrator begins to understand his friends'
infliction, insanity. He tries in vane to comfort his friend and provide solace, however
to no avail. When Roderick's only remaining kin, his sister Madeline dies, Rodericks
insanity seems to have gone to a heightened level. Shortly after his sister's death,
Roderick's friend is reading him a story. As things happen in the story, simultaneously
the same description of the noises come from within the house. As Usher tries to
persuade the narrator that it is his sister coming for him, and his friend believing
Roderick has gone stark raving mad, Madeline comes bursting in through the door and kills
her brother. The narrator flees from the house, and no sooner does he get away than he
turns around and sees a fissure in the houses masonry envelop the house and then watch
the ground swallow up the remains.
In "The Fall of the House of Usher" Poe introduces the reader to three characters;
Lady Madeline, Roderick Usher, and the narrator, whose name is never given. Lady
Madelin, the twin sister of Roderick Usher, does not speak one word throughout the story.
In fact she is absent from most of the story, and she and the narrator do not stay
together in the same room. After the narrators arrival she takes to her bed and falls
into a catatonic state. He helps to bury her and put her away in a vault, but when she
reappears he flees. Before she was buried she roamed around the house quietly not
noticing anything, completely overcome by her mental disorder.
Roderick Usher appears to be an educated man. He comes from a wealthy family and
owns a huge library. According to the narrator, he had once been an attractive man and
"the character of his face had been at all times remarkable" (Poe, 126). However , his
appearance had deteriorated over time. Roderick's altered appearance probably was caused
by his insanity. The narrator notes various symptoms of insanity from Roderick's
behavior. Roderick's state worsens throughout the story as he becomes increasingly
restless and unstable, especially after the burial of his sister. He find himself unable
to sleep and also finds that he hears noises. All in all he is a severely unbalanced man
trying to maintain an equilibrium in his life.
In contrast to Roderick, the narrator appears to be a man of common sense. He seems
to have a good heart in that he comes to help a friend from his childhood. He, like,
Roderick also appears to be very educated and very analytical. In his observations of
Usher he concludes that his friend suffers from an acute mental disorder. He looks for
natural explanations for the odd things that Roderick senses. Criticizing Usher for his
outrageous fantasies, the narrator claims that Roderick is "enchained by certain
superstitious impressions, in regard to the dwelling which he tenanted"(Poe,125). The
narrator's tone suggests that he cannot understand Usher. However he himself is
superstitious.
The three characters are unique people with different characteristics, but they all
eventually suffer from the same mental disorder. All of them suffer from insanity, yet
each responds differently. Madeline seems to accept the fact that she is insane and
continues through life with that knowledge. Roderick seems to realize his mental state
and makes every effort to hold on his sanity. And the narrator who is slowly but surely
contracting the disease, wants to deny what he sees, hears, and senses. In the end he
regains his senses but only because he flees from the house.
Poes writings are known for their macabre subject matter. In "The Fall of the House
of Usher", Poe uses the life-like characteristics of an otherwise decaying house as a
device for giving the house a supernatural atmosphere. From the beginning of the story
the narrator claims to have sensed something unusual and supernatural about the house.
After he sees the inside of the house the narrator has a heightened superstition, though
he tries to view everything he sees rationally. He observes the home and sees fungi
growing all over it and the decaying masonry "there appeared to be a wild inconsistency
between its still perfect adaptation of parts and the utterly porous and evidently
decayed condition of stones" (Poe,125)as if to say something supernatural was holding the
house up, otherwise it might have fallen apart a long time before. By giving objects
almost lifelike characteristics, Poe gives the house a supernatural quality which serves
to make the story more interesting and suspenseful in his treatment of the houses effect
on its inhabitants.
There are sections in the story where different forms of art; a painting and a poem,
are introduced. Both of them tell a story within a story. These stories , in their own
way are somehow parallel to the story in "The Fall of the House of Usher".
The painting was a painting done by Henry Fuesli. "Fuesli was noted for his
interest in the supernatural."(Poe, 127). "A small picture presented the interior of an
immensely long and rectangular vault or tunnel, with low walls, smooth, white, and
without interruption...and bathed the whole in a ghastly and inappropriate splendor."
(Poe, 127). This description can be interpreted as a place of sorrow, where the
atmosphere is morbid and cold. Most people have art in their homes for reasons of
cheering up the place. All this painting did was add morbidity and coldness to the
house.
The poem entitled "The Haunted Palace" makes a connection between the house and its
inhabitants. The poem seems to parallel to the plot of "The Fall of the House of Usher".
"Once a fair and stately palace--snow white palace--reared its head"(Poe, 127). This
describes the past of the Usher home. It was once a stately mansion, but as time went by
the house deteriorated along with the conditions of the people occupying it. We get to
the present in both the story and this excerpt "but evil things in rokes of sorrow,
assailed the monarchs high estate"(Poe, 126). This is what is happening to the Usher
house now. The house along with its inhabitants are full of sorrow.
Poe uses differing themes of fear, death, and freedom throughout the story to set a
suspenseful mood. Roderick is overcome by the fear that he is experiencing and it
affects every aspect of his life. It is the constant presence of fear that has caused
his illness. He doesn't know how or is unwilling to overcome these fears. The narrator
suggests Roderick's fears may be directly linked to the house "he is enchained by certain
superstitious impressions in regard to the dwelling which he is tenanted, and from which
for many years he never ventured forth"(Poe, 125), implying that his condition might be
relieved if he left the house and faced his fears. Because of fear, however he is
restrained from leaving and doesn't attempt to overcome them. The recurring concept of
fear in the story shows it power and impact on humanity. Fear can be beneficial by
restraining us from actions that can lead to harm or danger. Poe, however, takes this to
the extreme by showing the negative influences of fear. Fear can restrain us from
actions that could be beneficial, and excessive fear can lead to insanity. He also shows
that fear can be passed on to others, ultimately showing that we must recognize our fears
to be able to overcome them.
Death is Roderick Usher's main fear. He is from a "time honored" and prestigious
family. And he and his sister are the last of a long line of descendants. Poe uses the
concept of death and Roderick's deteriorating mental condition in order to give a sense
of foreboding and mystery to the story. It is this premonition of something dreadful to
come which surround the characters of Roderick and Madeline as the story progresses.
From the time the narrator sees Roderick his comments compare Roderick to death itself,
saying that his appearance indicates death. It is also as if Roderick foresees his
forthcoming death and wishes to pass the time away with his friend so he would not go
crazy. This theme of death seems to intertwine with the theme of freedom. It seemed to
Roderick Usher that death could be his only freedom. Because he was constrained to the
confines of his house and it turned him into a prisoner. Even in the narrators words he
viewed him as a "slave" of the house. All Roderick wanted was to be free from the
"Daemon of Death", and only death would free him from his insanity and the confines of
his house.
Poe's graphic portrayal of imagery enhance every aspect of the story, from the
suspense of the story itself, to the wild personalities of the characters and the
similarly morbid themes inherently present.
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