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Imagery in “The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allan Poe: A Literary Analysis
The fall of the house of ushers poem edgar allan poe analysis
Literary analysis of Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher
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Deteriorating towns are generally filled with a mere handful of inhabitants still clinging to whatever life they used to have. Houses fall apart. Quality of life decreases. People become unstable due to their inability to provide for themselves and their families. This has been seen all over: the towns become relics and the people become charity cases. When the going gets tough the tough get going; however, those inhabitants who choose to stay rewrite their endings. Edgar Allan Poe’s use of imagery portraying decay in “The Fall of the House of Usher” serves to set up the final fate of the two main characters.
Roderick Usher is a victim of circumstance. The House he has known his whole life seems to have turned against him. Poe illustrates Roderick in a way that mirrors that of the undead: “cadaverousness of complexion”, “lips…thin and very pallid”, and “silken hair”. Not only is Roderick’s physical appearance declining, his mental stability is “incoherent” as well. His psychological health digresses as a result of the culmination of disturbing events in his life. According to an analysis by G. R. Thompson, the story features a conflict constructed by Poe “between reason and irrationality” (qtd. in Timmerman). At the beginning of the story, Roderick suffered from “acute bodily illness” and “nervous agitation” which seem to be mostly self-inflicted. These then morph into “restrained hysteria in his whole demeanor” as his sanity decreases even more. Roderick starts to lose his grip on reality and slips even further into the clutches of fear and confusion. This rapid decline in Roderick’s mental health is made evident to the reader through the narrators progressing fear of him and what will come of him in the imminent future. “The ...
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...k and escape of the narrator throughout the story with images of neglect such as the “fissure” or “‘crack of doom’” in the House, the “peculiar physical conformation ” of Roderick, and the tremor sitting “upon [the narrators] … heart [like] and incubus”. These are among the many images Poe provides to spark the readers imagination in the way of foreshadowing the ultimate ending of the two characters stories.
Works Cited
Cook, Jonathan A. "Poe and the apocalyptic sublime: 'the fall of the house of usher'." Papers on
Language & Literature 48.1 (2012): 3+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
Timmerman, John H. "House of Mirrors: Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Fall of the House of Usher.'."
Papers on Language & Literature 39.3 (Summer 2003): 227-244. Rpt. in Short Story
Criticism. Vol. 111. Detroit: Gale, 2008. Literature Resource Center. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
In “The Fall of The House Of Usher” Edgar Allen Poe depicts the degrading effects of vacancy. An old friend visits Roderick’s family home, where they bury more than just a dead body. The remote
Poe, Edgar A, and David D. Galloway. The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Writings:
Edger Allan Poe, born on January 19, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts (Biography of Edger Allan Poe). A famous visionary writer and an phenomenal judicious literary critic who is the poet of “The Haunted Palace” (Poe's Life). This poem was first published in April 1839 which eventually was integrated into “The Fall of the House of Usher” written by Roderick Usher (Gerald M. Garmon). As a part of “The Fall of the House of Usher,” Poe once said, “I mean to imply a mind haunted by phantoms – a disordered brain” which he was remarking Usher (Garmon). Poe uses the devices of personification, imagery, and symbolism to reveal the characterizations of destruction and how evil may consume a human being.
...h his sister or if he is, indeed, being possessed by evil forces. Nevertheless, Poe’s portrayal of Roderick’s deterioration raises important questions about the causes, stages, and effects of insanity (Paragraph from Wilson 56).
In “The Fall of the House of Usher”, Poe’s use of dark, descriptive words allow him to establish an eerie mood. Poe’s unique style of writing along with his foreshadowing vocabulary is significant in creating a suspenseful gothic story. At the beginning of the short story, Poe describes the House of Usher to be “dull”, “oppressive”, and “dreary” (1265). His choice of words strongly emphasizes a mood of darkness and suspense as he builds on the horrific aspects of this daunting tale. At first glimpse, the house itself is surrounded by the feeling of “insufferable gloom”, (1265) “[t]here was an iciness, a sinking, a sickening of the heart, an unredeemed dreariness of thought [...]” (1265). The atmosphere that Poe describes in the statement above establishes a spine-chilling mood. Poe uses words such as “insufferable gloom”
Edgar Allan Poe is undoubtedly one of American Literature's legendary and prolific writers, and it is normal to say that his works touched on many aspects of the human psyche and personality. While he was no psychologist, he wrote about things that could evoke the reasons behind every person's character, whether flawed or not. Some would say his works are of the horror genre, succeeding in frightening his audience into trying to finish reading the book in one sitting, but making them think beyond the story and analyze it through imagery. The "Fall of the House of Usher" is one such tale that uses such frightening imagery that one can only sigh in relief that it is just a work of fiction. However, based on the biography of Poe, events that surrounded his life while he was working on his tales were enough to show the emotions he undoubtedly was experiencing during that time.
By giving insight into Roderick Usher’s life, Poe reveals how individuals can make themselves believe they are mentally ill. From the start of story, it is revealed that the narrator has been requested by Usher to help him through his “acute bodily illness” (18). The narrator immediately leaves
In “The Fall of the House of Usher,” Poe establishes a new type of literature, he emphasizes sides of Empiricism as well as the idea of Transcendence.
Roderick was very ill for he was not able to do many things. He could only listen to certain types of sounds, eat certain foods, and he could only look at certain things. Together they to loved to read books of Gothic natures that only added to the ora of the house. Usher had a great collection of books but his favorite was the manual of the forgotten church.
Edgar Allen Poe’s short story, “The Fall of the House of Usher”, sets a tone that is dark, gloomy, and threatening. His inclusion of highly descriptive words and various forms of figurative language enhance the story’s evil nature, giving the house and its inhabitants eerie and “supernatural” qualities. Poe’s effective use of personification, symbolism, foreshadowing, and doubling create a morbid tale leading to, and ultimately causing, the fall of (the house of) Usher.
Imagery in "The Fall of the House of Usher" The description of the landscape in any story is important as it creates a vivid imagery of the scene and helps to develop the mood. Edgar Allan Poe is a master at using imagery to improve the effects of his stories. He tends to use the landscapes to symbolize some important aspect of the story. Also, he makes use of the landscape to produce a supernatural effect and to induce horror. In particular, Poe makes great use of these tools in "The Fall of the House of Usher." This story depends on the portrayal of the house itself to create a certain atmosphere and to relate to the Usher family. In "The Fall of the House of Usher," Edgar Allan Poe uses the landscape to develop an atmosphere of horror and to create corollary to the Usher family. Poe uses the life-like characteristics of the house as a device for giving the house a supernatural presence. The house is described as having somewhat supernatural characteristics. The windows appear to be "vacant" and "eye-like" (1462). The strange nature of the house is further explained as around the mansion, "…there hung an atmosphere peculiar to themselves and their immediate vicinity." (1462). This demonstrates that the house and its surroundings have an unusual and bizarre existence. Upon entering the house, the narrator views some objects, such as the tapestries on the walls and the trophies, fill him with a sense of superstition. He describes the trophies as "phantasmagoric" (1462). He further explains that the house and the contents were the cause of his feelings.
In "The Fall of the house of Usher," Edgar Allen Poe creates suspense and fear in the reader. He also tries to convince the reader not to let fear overcome him. Poe tries to evoke suspence in the reader's mind by using several diffenent scenes. These elements include setting, characters, plot, and theme. Poe uses setting primarily in this work to create atmosphere. 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. The use of character provides action and suspense in the story through the characters' dialogue and actions. Roderick, who is hypochondriac, is very depressed. He has a fearful apperance and his senses are acute. This adds curiosity and anxiety. The narrator was fairly normal until he began to imagine things and become afraid himself. Because of this, the audience gets a sense that evil is lurking. Madeline is in a cataleptic state. She appears to be very weak and pail. Finally, when she dies, she is buried in a vault inside of the mansion. In this story, the plot consists of rising events, conflict, climax, and resolution. The rising events include the parts in the story when the narrator first arrives at the house, meets Roderick, and hears about Roderick's and Madeline's problems. Madeline's death and burial are part of the conflict. At this point, Roderick and the narrator begin to hear sounds throughout the house. The sounds are an omen that an evil action is about to occur. The climax is reached when Madeline comes back from the dead and she and her twin brother both die. Finally, the resolution comes when the narrator escapes from the house and turns around to watch it fall to the ground. The theme that Edgar Allen Poe is trying to convey is do not let fear take over your life because it could eventually destory you.
Poe, Edgar Allan. “The Fall of the House of Usher.” The American Tradition in Literature. Ed. George Perkins and Barbara Perkins. ___________________: McGraw Hill., 2008. Pg-pg. Print.
The Fall Of The House of Usher is a terrifying tale of the demise of the Usher family, whose inevitable doom is mirrored in the diseased and evil aura of the house and grounds. Poe uses elements of the gothic tale to create an atmosphere of terror. The decaying house is a metaphor for Roderick Usher’s mind, as well as his family line. The dreary landscape also reflects his personality. Poe also uses play on words to engage the reader to make predictions, or provide information. Poe has also set the story up to be intentionally ambiguous so that the reader is continually suspended between the real and the fantastic.
In conclusion Poe excellent use of characterization and imagery to depict fear and darkness, truly make The Fall of the House of Usher a story of the battles the we must face our fears in order to free our mind.