The Fall of the House of Usher; More then Meets the Eye Essay Example for Free

The Fall of the House of Usher; More then Meets the Eye Essay The Fall of the House of Usher written by Edgar Allen Poe was written in 1839, as the age of enlightenment and reason were on the rise. It is a horror gothic story, with an atmosphere of evil, as well as a sublime that overwhelmed the reader with fear. The Fall of the House of Usher is not only a dark romantic, written with a great deal attention to imagery, enhancing the parallelism and symbolism that arises as a correlation between the house the Ushers live and the family itself. When first beginning the story, the dark and gloomy imagery is interring, leaving the reader with a desire to continue reading. However, it soon becomes apparent that special attention is casted on the condition the house is in: â€Å"Minute fungi overspread the whole exterior, hanging in a fine tangled web work for the eaves†¦ there appeared to be a wild inconsistency between its still perfect adaptation of pars, and the crumbling condition of individual stones†¦the fabric gave little token of instability†¦ eye of a scrutinizing observer might have discovered a barley 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, 25) The house its self could be drafted as a character, as a great deal of attention description was put into it. However the house its self is not the only dynamic that Poe focused on when writing, The Usher Family was drafted to be complex as well. Madeline Usher was defined by her illness: â€Å"the disease of the lady Madeline had long baffled the skill of her physicians. A settled apathy, a gradual wasting away of the person, and frequent although transient affections of partially cataleptically character, were the unusual diagnosis. (Poe, 28) It was Roderick Usher however that was the most dynamic. Once a healthy man, is now a â€Å"mere exaggeration of the prevailing character of these features, and of the expression they were wont to convey, lay so much change that I doubted to whom I spoke.†(Poe, 26) His deterioration resembles that of the house, having once been a flourishing mansion, with upkeep. It is now simply falling to the ground day by day- much like Roderick him self. Upon reading The Fall of the House of Usher it becomes clear that the â€Å"House of Usher† does not only signify the house the family resides in but also the family line, as their will be no one to carry on the family name, when they pass, thusly the â€Å"house† will disappear all together. Both the internal state of the family and the external state of the house are paralleled in The Fall of the House of Usher. Poe made a significant correlation between â€Å"the crumbling condition of individual stones† (Poe, 25) and Madeline’s deteriorating condition. Instability within the household is also defiantly visible, as it is clear that both Roderick and Madeline experience insanity in different ways, this instability is once again paralleled by the fabric mentioned in the description of the house. Roderick’s insanity was mentioned as: the manner of my friend I was struck with an incoherence an inconsistencyhabitual trepidancy, and excessive nervous agitationHis action was alternately vivacious and sullen. His voice varied rapidly from a tremulous indecisionto thatof the lost drunkard, or the irreclaimable eater of opium (Poe, 26) Nevertheless, it was the barley visible fissure that Poe mentions that seems to be a symbol for the family the most, it was not until the final pages that it becomes clear that the House of Usher is more then just the house itself and the fissure becomes a symbol for the family falling apart. Upon being buried, Madeline rises from the cellar and her presence upon weeks of being in the cellar, results in the death of her brother. However the narrator notes that while looking back that the house â€Å"fissure rapidly widened†¦ my brain reeled as I saw the mighty walls rushing asunder†¦ the deep and dank tarn as my feet closed sullenly and silently over the fragments of the â€Å"House of Usher.† (Poe, 36) The symbolism between the house collapsing as well as the deterioration of the family dynamic is crucial to the understanding that the house and the family are one. Adding to the short story a great deal of depth, making it much more then just another short story with a great sublime and gothic feel. This technique may slip through many readers attention, however if an analysis and a further in-depth reading is done, the story gains dynamic and meaning. Leaving the reader with more then met the eye. Work Cited Page Stott, Jon C. and Raymond E.Jone. The Harbrace Anthology of Short Fiction. Tronto, Ontario: Nelson Education Ltd. 2012. Print. Text used: Edgar Allen Poe. The Fall of the House of Usher. Pages 23-26.