The Fall Of The House Of Usher - 1635 Words

At first, the erratic, ambiguous, and disorientating narrative style of ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ seems to lack consistent symbolism, and can be understood as a convention of the gothic genre. Macabre texts often employ unreliable narrators to convey readers down circuitous paths littered with false steps and red herrings, in order to postpone, and perhaps even prevent, arrival at singular interpretations of stories. In ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’, the narrator suddenly and ambiguously reveals facts about the house and its inhabitants, and couches his observations in ornate and turgid language. These features seem superfluous, but force readers to collude in the mysterious, entertaining and infinite game of engineered interpretation that the gothic genre revels in. Nevertheless, a second reading of the text reveals uncanny similarities between the narrator and Roderick– both men ultimately share a belief in â€Å"the sentience of all vege table things† (185), possess the power to distort the distinction between art and reality, and suffer from â€Å"a morbid acuteness of the senses† (181). This suggests that the malady plaguing the surviving branches of the Usher family has infected the narrator. Therefore, the perplexing, and oftentimes infuriating narrative style of ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ reflects both authorial manipulation essential to create a suspenseful gothic tale, and also unconscious manipulation by the mentally disturbed narrator (itself a gothicShow MoreRelatedThe Fall Of The House Of Usher1243 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"The Fall Of The House Of Usher:† The Mysterious Family In the story â€Å" The Fall of the House of Usher† by Edgar Allan Poe, has an American romanticism with its characters. Edgar Allan Poe is considered a Dark Romanticism because of the way he writes his poems and short stories centered around the concept of evil human nature, darkness, and death. Roderick and Madeline Usher were said to be related during the middle of the story; they were twins. It explained how they were sick, Roderick had a mentalRead MoreThe Fall of the House of Usher700 Words   |  3 Pages â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† is a classic horror story written by Edgar Allen Poe. Edgar wrote descriptively through the physical setting, the first person point of view, and the uniquely dynamic characters. These elements worked together to create suspense and kept the readers curious. The first fiction of element begins in the very first paragraph. The unknown narrator described the day as a â€Å"dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . The setting while the narrator wasRead MoreThe Fall of the House of Usher1239 Words   |  5 PagesA young man ran away from a heap of ruins. He had witnessed the death of his best friend and his home but he ran away as it happened. At the moment, all was silent and not even a squeak could be heard. But if a house collapsed in the middle of a forest, and no one was around to hear it, did it make a sound? With such wonders, death, and darkness also come the work of Edgar Allan Poe. Edgar Allan Poe is known as a literature legend. He wrote many complicated horror and detective fiction stories, whichRead MoreThe Fall Of The House Of Usher856 Words   |  4 PagesThe Fall of the House of Usher and House Taken Over In Edgar Allan Poe’s â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† and Julio Cortazar’ â€Å"House Taken Over† the short stories represent the genre of Gothic Literature. Gothic Literature is a genre that combines fiction, horror, death, and romance. Some of these traits are seen in both of these stories through characters and settings. However, there are other traits that set them apart. To begin with, one of the major themes in both of these stories is fear. InRead MoreThe Fall Of The House Of Usher1285 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† has been noted as one of Edgar Allan Poe’s most famous short stories. The story begins when the narrator arrives at the house of his friend, Roderick Usher. Roderick is ill and has been living his life deeply reclusive. His sister Madeline suffers from a sensory disorder and is considered to be dead. The narrator attempts to comfort Roderick and alleviate his melancholy by reading a story that appears to foreshadow later events. In this story, Poe provides his audienceRead MoreThe Fall Of The House Of Usher1612 Words   |  7 PagesThe second message of Poe s The Fall of the House of Usher is that moral disintegration should necessarily lead to destruction as a sort of mundane punishment. Usher blames himself for burying his sister before death so he expects punishment. One conclusion to be d rawn from the final scene is that Roderick dies of fear. Madeline appears in her coffin and rushes upon him and he falls to the floor a corpse. Symbolically Madeline is just a physical embodiment of Roderick’s fears and punishment.Read MoreThe Fall Of The House Of Usher1727 Words   |  7 PagesFate’s Influence in â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† Depressing imagery, confrontation of death, and the intense madness humans are capable of are all themes integrated into Edgar Allan Poe’s stories. The psychology of the human psyche prompted him to create the complex tales that made him famous. Poe’s story of obsession and the power of suggestion is beautifully written through the narrator’s tale. In â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher†, the characters portray the self-manifesting development of one’sRead MoreThe Fall Of The House Of Usher1133 Words   |  5 Pagesthe story â€Å" The Fall of the House of Usher† by Edgar Allan Poe, has american romanticism with the characters. Edgar Allan Poe is considered a Dark Romanticism because of his poems and short stories centered around the ideas of evil human nature, darkness, and death. Roderick Usher and Madeline were that kind of person in this story; they were twins. There were sick; Roderick had mental disorder and physically and Madeline wa s physically sick. As the narrator enters the desolate house, he finds bothRead MoreThe Fall Of The House Of Usher2041 Words   |  9 Pagesfact that he makes a smooth transition from symbolism to allegory in his writings. Edgar Allan Poe uses a more gothic style of writing that gives his science fiction literature unique character. One of Poe’s more popular stories is â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† in which he uses deep symbolism and imagery to tell the story. Although both short stories portray critical use of allegory and symbolism, it is based upon opinion as to which story is the more superior. â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† is more superiorRead MoreThe Fall Of The House Of Usher888 Words   |  4 Pages Edgar Allen Poe’s short story The Fall of the House of Usher was very captivating. Once I began reading the story I couldn’t put the book down till I was done. I believe the protagonist in the story was Roderick Usher. I always assumed a protagonist to be heroic in some way. Roderick Usher’s character, however, was not heroic. Usher was not only a hypochondriac, but he was a mentally and physically sick man. I have no doubt that a lot of his mental and physical maladies sprouted from years