Symbolism In The Fall Of The House Of Usher

The Symbolic and Metaphorical House of Usher

Throughout all of Edgar Allen Poe stories, it is apparent that Poe uses symbolism and hidden meanings often in his work. "The Fall of the House of Usher" is filled with these hidden and interesting secrets. Poe uses these literary devices to his advantage, as they help add to the content of the story. Nearly every action or object has a symbolic to add to the plot or set the atmosphere of the story. Here I will list and explain some of those examples. One of the largest symbols throughout "The Fall of the House of Usher" is the estate itself. There are many hidden symbols on the exterior of the house. Upon arriving at the house, the narrator remarks "a sense of insufferable gloom pervaded my spirit" (Poe 1). The house is also described as having "bleak walls...vacant eye-like windows...a few white

Roderick Usher is suffering from acuteness of the senses, making him sensitive to most lights, smells, food, and clothing, and hears strange sounds echoing throughout the house. He firmly believes the source of this disease is the house. However, Roderick still never leaves his home. Because of his illness, Roderick's windows are boarded up, and "feeble gleams of crimsoned light made their way through the trellised panes," (Poe 3). The red light may be referencing the color of blood. Many expensive things are decaying and draperies hang everywhere, reinforcing the sense of death and mystery. Throughout the rest of his room, "dark draperies hung upon the walls. The general furniture was profuse, comfortless, antique, and tattered." (Poe 4). It seems like Roderick does not care about the way his room looks. It is stated later in the text that Usher believes everything has emotions and refuses to change anything because of it. However, due to this, everything changes anyway, as it starts to fade away due to the lack of