Why Is Malnutrition Important In The Fall Of The House Of Usher

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Readers like an ending that is like a puzzle. They like to have to use their own imagination to interpret the ending of the story. One author that makes the ending extremely interesting is Edgar Allan Poe. The ending of many of Poe's works is left ambiguous. In The Fall of the House of Usher the cause of the house falling was the dramatic effect of natural causes. Many people believe in hunting in The Fall of the House of Usher, but malnutrition is a more logical explanation. Many people believe in haunting because when the house fell, the Usher line died with it. The logic behind malnutrition is based on Roderick’s symptoms. “Malnutrition is the condition that develops when the body does not get the right amount of the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients it needs to maintain healthy tissues and organ function.” (Malnutrition) Symptoms of malnutrition are that the person “skin is pale, increased sensitivity to light, and “scaling and cracking of the lips.” (Malnutrition) Physical factors that can cause …show more content…

Evidence that people use to support this statement are that they are an ancient family, pure blood in the family, sensitive to smells, red light shines into the room, they have pale skin, they have chapped lips, Madeline escaped from the tomb covered in blood, and Madeline never sleeps. “It was, he said, a constitutional and family evil, and one for which he despaired to find a remedy.” (Poe) All of this evidence can simply be the explanation of malnutrition. Some people say that the house was haunted. Evidence that people use to support this statement are that when Madeline starts to get sick the crack in the house appears. As she gets sicker the crack gets bigger. When Madeline gets to the point with no fight left in her, she dies. With her death the house falls down, taking her and Roderick with it. They were the only two left, which now means that the Usher family line no longer