How Is Imagery Used In The Fall Of The House Of Usher

The decaying of people and objects can be shown in many different ways, and in Gothic literature, it is shown as a dark and horrifying depletion of objects or people that were once filled with joy. When these themes are portrayed, they are usually connected by two different decaying beings. In the story “The Fall of the House of Usher”, by Edgar Allan Poe, an unnamed narrator is invited by his childhood friend, Roderick Usher, to his once illustrious home. Upon the narrator’s arrival, they notice a strange aura about the house. Usher describes a terrible sickness both him and his twin have and as the days go by, Madeline seems to have died from her sickness. After Usher and the narrator buried Madeline in a tomb, they spend time together reading, playing music, and painting. The narrator begins to hear things in the house, making them think they are going mad, but after a terrible storm comes over the house and Roderick tells the narrator that he knew about the sounds all along, Madeline busts through the door, falling on her brother, killing him. This ends the

In his short story, Poe uses imagery to illustrate the dark setting of the House of Usher. Using strong language, the author proclaims, “...upon the bleak walls--upon the eye-like windows--upon a few rank sedges…” (Poe). Poe uses describing words that creates an image of a gloomy and mysterious mansion to drive the dark settings. The author also uses imagery to help picture the change of the old friend Roderick. When the narrator sees his old friend again, he can’t help but notice his, “...lips somewhat thin and very pallid…a finely molded chin…hair of a more than web-like softness and tenuity”(Poe). Poe uses many different varieties of describing words to portray the horrifying changes that the narrator was seeing. The author uses a great deal of imagery to drive the reader to have a sense of terror and