Imagery In The Fall Of The House Of Usher

Because Halloween just ended and Friday the thirteenth was this past Friday, spookiness

is in the air. As pumpkins are being carved and scary stories are being stated, the original scary

story mastermind must be recalled. Edgar Allen Poe is the father of horror and said his work was

just to scare, but here is some of the deeper meanings that can be seen through imaging and

details to paint a photo of genuine fury.

Through the idea of Edgar Allen Poe in his work “The Fall of the House of Usher”

imagery of the character Roderick Usher is used to create a theme of rage that brings to light the

demons Poe was suffering from. The horror tales Poe writes are devilishly detailed and possess a

deep overall theme that ultimately ties

back into his struggles.

The imagery in “The Fall of the House of Usher” creates the picture of a slowly

deteriorating, corpse-like man by the name of Roderick Usher. How the primary character is

drawn in the report is similar to that of Poe’s self-destruction. Both are slowly deteriorating

mentally and physically because of their surroundings. The usage of detailed mental images is

seen all throughout the story but it becomes very evident when the narrator can barely recognize

his childhood friend because of the environment Usher was in that turned him insane, “it was

with difficulty that I could bring myself to admit the identity of the wan being before me with the

companion of my early boyhood. Yet the character of his face had been at all times remarkable.

A cadaverousness of complexion; an eye large, liquid, and luminous beyond comparison; lips

somewhat thin and very pallid, but of a surpassingly beautiful curve; a nose of a delicate Hebrew

model, but with a breadth of nostril unusual in similar formations; a finely molded chin,

speaking, in its want of prominence, a want of moral energy.” (Poe 298) The imagery Poe uses

implies that isolation will lead to madness which affects a person both mentally and

physically until they become indistinguishable.

Both Usher and Poe have been detached from a normal life and in their confinement it

leads to madness. In the striking example of the Ushers appearance the topic of lunacy becomes

apparent as the narrative advances. In his best known tale “The Fall of the House of Usher” Poe

uses specific imagery to convince the readers to feel sore as a hatter though details, sensations

and environment. When the narrator comes to check on his friend, we see what the surroundings

and illness have done to him. Because he can no longer treat the environment around him,

mentally ill Usher develops a sort of sensory overload and has to remain in dark rooms and only

eat bland food. This quote from the story shows how wane he has become, “He suffered much

from a morbid acuteness of the senses; the most insipid food was alone endurable; he could wear

only garments of certain texture; the odors of all flowers were oppressive; his eyes were tortured

by even a faint light; and there were instruments, which did not inspire him with horror”

(Poe

299). In his isolation, Usher has gone mad similar to Poe.

By the use of brilliant imagery, Poe creates a story theme of terror and rage. Edgar Allen

Poe was often quoted for saying his work was for pure fright, but as we examine the imagery and

then it becomes clear he put his own deterioration into the literature. “The Fall of the House of

Usher” is a true look into the mind of the master and his struggles.