The Fall Of The House Of Usher Symbolism Analysis

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Recommended: The narrators speech in the fall of the house of usher

Ayla Hadley
ENGL-123-B05
Professor Philip Wyatt
Critical Research Essay
11/15/17

Symbolism Written in Sin

Symbolism and foreshadowing are two very important literary devices that can help make stories memorable. Some symbolism is coyly written, hiding in the nooks and crannies of the words and fooling the untrained eye. Other symbolism is easy to distinguish, as it pops out easily to the reader, with foreshadowing being just the same way. However, not every short story, novel, poem, or movie contains these elements, but one prominent piece of literature contains both. This said piece of literature goes by the title of “The Fall of the House of Usher”, and Edgar Allan Poe uses the symbolism of the mansion falling apart as foreshadowing for …show more content…

Symbolism is seen in most entertainment we enjoy today, and even colors are used as symbols for a higher purpose. Purple is a symbol for royalty, but also a symbol for wisdom. Blue is a symbol for trust and loyalty, but also a symbol for sadness and depression. In Usher, the narrator mentioned tattered, uncomfortable looking furniture (7th paragraph), perhaps symbolizing the whole nature of Usher and his family. The physical destruction of the house and the growth of the fungi symbolize the deterioration of Roderick and Madeline. Poe uses symbolism in many of his stories and poems to show the reader his own views on death, love, and even religion. For example, in his short story “The Masque of the Red Death”, a popular Gothic short story similar to Usher, the name of ‘Prince Prospero’ symbolizes a wealthy and prosperous heritage. In “The Fall of the House of Usher”, the deterioration of the house symbolizes how the crumbling Usher bloodline will not be able to continue on any further as it …show more content…

It is probable that the crumbling house could have brought around any level of anxiety or fear. However, the tarn could be directly linked to the fear, as Poe described the mystical vapors as sluggish and leaden-hued (4th paragraph, bottom). Perhaps the fumes acted to kickstart their fears, leading them slowly but surely down the crumbling path of the story. I do not believe that this is the case, and that the incestual habits of the family have forever cursed the children with both mental and physical illnesses.
Through the entire short story that is “The Fall of the House of Usher”, the narrator spent much of the time at the beginning of the story describing the ominous appearance of the Usher family home, it turned out to be strong symbolism for the ways that Roderick and Madeline lived, and how it paralleled with their crumbling bloodline. As the children of a sinful and disgusting tradition of incest to keep the family blood line pure, they were destined to a shorter life of sickness and fear, destined to follow their ill-met

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