ipl-logo

What Is The Symbolism In The Fall Of The House Of Usher

657 Words3 Pages

In 1839, Edgar Allan Poe wrote “The Fall of the House of Usher.” He intended to entertain while making people think about the deeper meanings behind various elements, and he succeeded. It is the story of a family’s end, as seen by an outsider. It tells about what could happen if someone remains isolated from society for a long time and of insanity caused by guilt. Edgar Allan Poe deserves the fame he has received for his skill in creating the perfect setting to match the mood, his thought-provoking symbolism, and his word choice. The story starts with an unnamed narrator arriving at the House of Usher in order to visit Roderick Usher, an old friend that is slowly dying and going insane. Madeline, Roderick’s twin sister, is put into a vault, presumably dead. Roderick spirals further into insanity over the next days. Madeline gets out, as she was not dead - which Roderick knew all along. After coming into the room where the narrator and Roderick are, she dies of exhaustion and leading to Roderick’s death by fright. The narrator quickly leaves the house, which collapses shortly after he gets a little ways away. …show more content…

Even without going into detail of the house’s appearance the “sense of insufferable gloom” the narrator gets tells a lot about the house. The house itself is moldy and falling apart and the surrounding landscape isn’t any better. Many rooms are dark and shrouded in mystery, the vault Madeline was entombed in being the worst of them all. As the story gets darker, the weather changes from dark and cloudy to a horrible storm which it remains to the

Show More
Related
679 Words | 3 Pages

Early on in the story, the narrator describes the feeling he has of the house, “I say insufferable; for the feeling of was unrelieved by any of that

Read More
714 Words | 3 Pages

Mental illness, incest, pure horror, and maybe even vampires, “The Fall of the House of Usher” has very perplexing symbolism and metaphors that can be hard to decipher. The symbolism in his stories reflects his horrific past in a unique way for each piece. By using imagery and symbolism in “The Fall of the House of Usher,” Poe creates very controversial topics to be discussed by the reader such as what Poe meant with the imagery he used to describe the appearance of The House of Usher, Roderick and Madeline's supposed mental illness, and "The Haunted Palace". To begin with, there is a great deal of symbolism in "The Haunted Palace". "

Read More
934 Words | 4 Pages

When the narrator first was reconnected with Rodrick, they were talking and the narrator learned something disturbing about the Usher family. “The entire family lay in the direct line of descent” (Poe). Showing the family dynamic and how it was forced upon the Usher twins since their whole family had done it before. As the narrator is feeling like he is going insane he meets with Rodrick for the last time learning what is truly happening in the house. “The rendering of her coffin, and the grating of the iron hinges of her prison, and her struggles within the coppered archway of the vault!”

Read More
944 Words | 4 Pages

The different descriptions of the house and the nature around the house as well as the characters suggests this story is more of a gloomy sad

Read More
886 Words | 4 Pages

The crack in the house and the dead trees imply that the house and its surroundings are not sturdy or promising. These elements indicate that a positive outcome is not expected. The thunder,strange light, and mist create a spooky feeling for the reader. In "The Fall of the house of Usher," Edgar Allan Poe creates suspense and fear in the reader. He also tries to convince the reader not to let fear overcome him.

Read More
1113 Words | 5 Pages

After Roderick and the narrator met again, Roderick states: I shall perish, said he, I must

Read More
673 Words | 3 Pages

Deep within every person there is a sense of fear that terrifies them for life. In Edgar Allen Poe’s story “The Fall of the house of Usher”, the narrator enters the home of a lifelong friend, Usher, who has fallen to the fear he has held within him. Usher’s twin sister, Madeline, has Usher on edge thinking that she is dead. When they bury her, she comes back to life and takes him away to die with him. They are the last two of the family of Ushers.

Read More
947 Words | 4 Pages

People have many factors in their lives affecting their motivations and decision-making processes. In “The Fall of the House of Usher” the main character is a man named Roderick Usher. This man is affected by emotional influences, family illness, and a gloomy environment. The emotional theme of fear runs through the entirety of this story. Mr. Usher is influenced by an illness that affects his sister and his own self proclaimed mental illness.

Read More
386 Words | 2 Pages

In the short story “The Fall of the House of Usher”, Edgar Allen Poe’s purpose of the story was to frighten the reader and fill them with suspense. I know this because in the text, it starts off by telling the reader that the story takes place on “the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year. In my judgement, this seems like a bunch of different descriptive words your average scary story. Another reason that the author’s purpose is to scare the reader is because in the text, it says that Lady Madeline was “No more” but near the end she is alive, Why? Because she is a ghost!

Read More
732 Words | 3 Pages

“There was a coldness, a sickening of the heart, in which I could discover nothing to lighten the weight I felt” This line perfectly sums up the overall tone of The Fall of the House of Usher. The story at its most basic level is about a man who visits his old friend in a house which is seemingly under some sort of supernatural hex. The way Poe goes into such detail describing the characters and their personal reactions to the events that take place during the story help the reader to stay close to the actions of the story. Additionally Poe describes the house so well that the reader can easily picture the dilapidated mess as if standing in front of it.

Read More
1669 Words | 7 Pages

Additionally , the house that the narrator mentions is illustrated as “ mansion of gloom “ which might be a sign that the aura of the house has something dreadful in it. However , the Narrator reveals something important about his first impression for the house by saying “ I looked upon the scene before me , upon the mere house, upon the bleak walls , upon the vacant eye-like windows ( 3 ).To illustrate , the words such as “ air of heaven , silent tarn , mystic vapor “ used as a reinforcement for making the ambience of the house as gloomy. In fact , in the light of these facts , it could be said that the house has an darkness appearance which might be an indication of its mysterious atmosphere.

Read More
1500 Words | 6 Pages

Throughout “The Fall of the House of Usher,” metaphor and symbolism are heavily relied upon to express the extent of the madness that resides within the Usher House. In the short story, Poe creates a symbolic parallel between the art and stories that are seen and told. It can be implied, from a painting, in the Usher house, that Lady Madeline Usher is still alive. The reader can also imply that there is a hidden tunnel or room under the entirety of the house. “The Mad Trist” indirectly tells the reader of Lady Madeline’s escape from the tomb she had been placed in.

Read More
852 Words | 4 Pages

Edgar Allan Poe’s well known story “The Fall of the House of Usher” is an eerie story with a gothic setting and the nameless narrator for which he is known for. It starts out with the narrator going to the house of a sick friend named Roderick Usher. Upon making his appearance, he goes in to find Usher pale and lifeless as he has a mental disorder. His sister Madeline also has an illness but of a physical nature. When she dies Usher along with the narrator bury her under the house.

Read More
209 Words | 1 Pages

In addition to Edgar Allen Poe using the Gothic literature elements of death and the supernatural, he also incorporated the protagonist being both physical and emotional isolated. In “The Fall of the House of Usher”, the protagonist of the story, Roderick, has lived for years with his only relative that has not deceased. Even with living with his sister, Roderick is physically alone because the siblings do not interact very often and Roderick has not recently left the mansion to see anyone. To show that Roderick has been physically and emotionally alone Poe states, “of a mental disorder which oppressed him—and of an earnest desire to see me, as his best and indeed his only personal friend” (Poe). Due to the mental disorder and not interacting

Read More
942 Words | 4 Pages

Throughout American literature and cinema history, the premature burial of someone has been displayed. In the American gothic short story, “The Fall of the House of Usher,” by Edgar Allan Poe, this is portrayed as well. Roderick Usher buries his twin sister, Madeline Usher, alive because he believes that she has died. In Poe’s, “The Fall of the House of Usher,” it showcases Poe’s troubled past with the death of loved ones due to disease. Thus, it contributes to the theme one can never trust anyone, even one’s own family.

Read More

More about What Is The Symbolism In The Fall Of The House Of Usher

Related Topics

Open Document