Free Essays on House Of Usher

creates a very effective atmosphere in the story. Another important way Poe uses the setting is to foreshadow events in the story. Roderick Usher's mansion is on example of this. There is a "barely perceptible fissure" in the masonry. It is a small crack in "The House of Usher" which the narrator defines as "both the family and the family mansion." This foreshadows an event that will ruin the house and the family. The fissure divides the house. Roderick and Madeline die, destroying the family. The narrator says there is a "wild inconsistency between [the masonry's] still perfect adaptation. and the crumbling condition of the individual stones." This is also symbolic. The stones represent the individual people of the Usher family, and... Free Essays on House Of Usher Free Essays on House Of Usher In the short story, The Fall of the House of Usher, the famous author Edgar Alan Poe writes about a man with a dreadful illness living in a gloomy house. There are three main characters: the narrator, Roderick and Lady Madeline Usher. Poe mentions little about the narrator who is a childhood friend of Roderick. Roderick Usher and Madeline Usher are brother and sister and the two sole survivors of the House of Usher. The story begins with the nameless narrator explaining his reason for coming to see his childhood friend Roderick. Roderick has grown very sick over the past few years and so has his sister Lady Madeline. Their physical and mental conditions have deteriorated dramatically along with the condition of the mansion in which they live. It is mentioned that even though the structure of the house was still intact, it was surrounded by decaying trees and murky ponds. Upon careful inspection, a crack starting at the roof and going down into the ground could be seen. The Usher household, once a respectable family, now was disappearing into the ruins. The narrator had not seen Roderick since their childhood days. However, the letter that Roderick writes to his friend is so passionate that his friend cannot resist coming to help. Roderick writes with his heart and soul that he is in a very poor physical condition and that he needs the help of a friend to help him recover. In the hopes of being able to help Roderick, his friend ends up coming to see him. As he enters the Usher mansion, he discovers that the inside of the house is just as spooky as the outside of not more. Furthermore, there is not a single sign of light in the house. Even a faint glow hurts Roderick’s eyes. It is said that Roderick’s disease is of the ‘acuteness of senses’. This meaning that his senses do not work correctly. He can only wear clothes of certain textures and is hears strange sounds sometimes through his ears. As Roderick Ushe... Free Essays on House of Usher â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† Setting "The Fall of the House of Usher," by Edgar Allen Poe, the setting is used extensively to do many things. The author uses it to convey ideas, effects, and images. It establishes a mood and foreshadows future events. Poe communicates truths about the character through setting. Symbols are also used throughout to help understand the theme through the setting. Poe uses the setting to create an atmosphere in the reader's mind. He chose every word in every sentence carefully to create a gloomy mood. For example, Usher's house, its windows, bricks, and dungeon are all used to make a dismal atmosphere. The "white trunks of decayed trees," the "black and lurid tarn," and the "vacant, eyelike windows" contribute to the collective atmosphere of despair and anguish. This is done with the words black, lurid, decayed, and vacant. The narrator says that the Usher mansion had "an atmosphere which had no affinity with the air of heaven." It was no where near being beautiful, holy, or clean. He uses descriptive words such as decayed, strange, peculiar, gray, mystic, Gothic, pestilent, dull and sluggish to create the atmosphere. Poe's meticulous choice of words creates a very effective atmosphere in the story. Another important way Poe uses the setting is to foreshadow events in the story. Roderick Usher's mansion is on example of this. There is a "barely perceptible fissure" in the masonry. It is a small crack in "The House of Usher" which the narrator defines as "both the family and the family mansion." This foreshadows an event that will ruin the house and the family. The fissure divides the house. Roderick and Madeline die, destroying the family. The narrator says there is a "wild inconsistency between [the masonry's] still perfect adaptation. and the crumbling condition of the individual stones." This is also symbolic. The stones represent the individual people of the Usher family, and...