Examples Of Foreshadowing In The Fall Of The House Of Usher

Foreshadowing in “The Fall of the House of Usher”

There are an abundance of examples of foreshadowing in Edgar Allan Poe's story, “The Fall of the House of Usher”. “Foreshadowing is a writer’s use of hints or clues to indicate events that will occur in a story. Foreshadowing creates suspense and at the same time prepares the reader for what is to come” (American Literature 1972). One example of foreshadowing in “The Fall of the House of Usher”, is simply the title of the story itself. Another example of foreshadowing is when Roderick Usher describes Madeline when she dies. Lastly, Poe is creating foreshadowing when the Narrator is reading Sir Lancelot and all of the sounds from the book become reality. As it can be seen, “The Fall of the House of Usher” conveys many hints that show the events that will happen in the future.

One of the abundant examples of foreshadowing in, “The Fall of the House of Usher” is the title of the story.

The title of the story gives so much insight of what the story will be about and draws the reader into anticipates what the conflict in the story may be. In this case, the title predicts that the house will fall someway through the story, either literally or figuratively. In “The Fall of the House of Usher” (Poe 592), the fall is used literally in foreshadowing the future split that is happening. Poe is explaining in the beginning of the story that there is a big fissure down the middle of the house. When reading about the fissure, it is easy to know that there is something more to the story. “Perhaps the eye of a scrutinizing observer might have discovered a barely perceptible fissure, which, extending from the roof of the building in front, made its way down the wall in a zigzag direction, until it became lost in the sullen waters of the tarn” (Poe 596). As it can be seen, the simplest of things can be foreshadowing a story that wouldn't exactly be detected by the common

eye.
Next, an example of foreshadowing in “The Fall of the House of Usher”, is when Roderick is describing Madeline when she dies. “The disease which had thus entombed the lady in the maturity of her youth, had left, as usual in all maladies of a strictly cataleptical character, the mockery of a faint blush upon the bosom and the face, and that suspiciously lingering smile upon the lip which is so terrible in death” (Poe 608). In this quote, Roderick is giving Madeline many living qualities that make you think that she is still alive. This is foreshadowing that Madeline is not actually dead and it is not the last time the reader is reading about her. This leads many to wonder if the Narrator and Roderick actually knew that Madeleine was dead or if they just wanted her to be. As it can be seen, foreshadowing is often used to make a story more eerie and suspenseful.
Lastly, foreshadowing can be seen in “The Fall of the House of Usher” when sounds are heard throughout the house when the Narrator is reading Sir Lancelot. “Here again I paused abruptly, and now with a feeling of wild amazement—for there could be no doubt whatever that, in this instance, I did actually hear . . . a low and apparently distant, but harsh, protracted, and most unusual screaming or grating sound—the exact counterpart of what my fancy had conjured up for the dragon’s unnatural shriek as described by the romancer” (Poe 613). In this quote, the Narrator is describing how every time he is reading something make a noise in the story, he is hearing the same noise throughout the house. This is foreshadowing that something is yet to happen and that either someone or something is in the house making the noises. This use of foreshadowing is leaving the reader on their toes, and it makes the reader want to continue and finish the story to find out what happens next.
Overall, the literary device of foreshadowing is used an abundance of times during “The Fall of the House of Usher”. First of all, foreshadowing is used in the title of the story. When reading the title, readers can predict something is happening to the house during the book. Next, when Roderick is describing Lady Madeline when she is dying is an example of foreshadowing. This leads the reader to question if Roderick was aware that Madeleine is alive when he locked her in the vault. Lastly, when Roderick and the Narrator are hearing noises in the house, it creates a hint that something is yet to happen in the story. In conclusion, “The Fall of the House of Usher” is very heavily populated with examples of foreshadowing. It has made the book much more interesting and more enjoyable to read.