The Fall Of The House Of Usher Mental Illness

The Theme of Mental illness in the Fall of the house of usher by edgar allan poe

Mental illness has been a recurrent theme in literature throughout history, as it provides a powerful lens through which to explore the human condition and the complexities of the mind. In literature, mental illness is often used to represent the internal struggles of characters, as well as to comment on larger social and cultural issues.

In Edgar Allan Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher," the theme of mental illness is central to the story, as it is used to convey the psychological decay of the characters and the ominous atmosphere of the Usher mansion. The story is considered to be a classic example of Gothic literature, which often deals with themes of madness

First, the estate is described as being in a state of decay and disrepair, with cracks in the walls, a generally gloomy atmosphere, and an overall sense of rotting and corruption. This imagery of decay and corruption is closely tied to the characters' psychological states, as it serves as a metaphor for their mental deterioration. The condition of the estate reflects the mental state of the characters, and it also contributes to the overall eerie and ominous atmosphere of the story.

Second, the Usher estate is also closely tied to the characters' family history of mental illness. The narrator notes that the Usher family has a history of "nerve-related" illnesses, and this history is closely tied to the condition of the estate. The estate serves as a symbol of the family's history of mental illness and it is also seen as the source of the characters' current psychological

This would not be an unreasonable reaction for such a tragic and traumatic occurrence. Still I believe that the death of Roderic was deeply connected to his mental state.

While reading the ending, the first instinct would be to think that the sister could have really been alive and broken out of her tomb to later cause the death of Roderic but as the author of The Dual Hallucination In "The Fall of the House of Usher" notices, the torches in the vault were half extinguished due to the lack of oxygen and the heavy iron doors and copper walls would restrict airflow even more. Moreover Madeline at the end of the book would have been deprived of oxygen food and water for a week which even if she survived those circumstances, would render her too weak for her to break the coffin and the doors to her tomb to break out in the state that she was. Because of this It is not unreasonable to think that Madeline was nothing more than a hallucination and that Roderic’s death was caused purely by his decreasing mental state with no outside cause. Even the fact that the narrator also seems to see the body of the sister and seemed sure of what he saw could be easily explained. The narrator narrator is only human and from the little information we are told about him we know that he himself has been feeling maddened by staying with Roderick as he states