The Industrial Revolution brought about a plethora of socioeconomic changes that forced the world to modernize from an agrarian based market system to one reliant on manufacturing. As a product of the quaint antebellum society in the South, Edgar Allan Poe looked upon the rapidly changing world with a great deal of anxiety and fear. In fact, his short story, The Fall of the House of Usher reflects some of these anxieties as the titular family, who represent the increasingly irrelevant aristocratic sector in the South, faces extinction in light of the modernizing ideology around them. Throughout the narrative, the speaker reiterates the Ushers’ inability to change and evolve, thus suggesting their resistance to Althusser’s idea of interpellation. Althusser argues that individuals become part of, or interpellated, into society once they have accepted their roles within the established ideology. The Usher family’s resistance to interpellation demonstrates a fear of extinction and an apprehension about progress, particularly as they refuse to integrate themselves into the world outside the Usher family home and immediately expire upon their interaction with an individual foreign to the ideology within the Usher home. The Usher family home is emblematic of past feudal—almost European—hierarchal systems in which nobility remained isolated from the peasantry. Before the narrator encounters a single member of the Usher family, he offers his reader a lengthy description of the Usher
Poe, Edgar Allan. (2003). “The Fall of the House of Usher.” The Fall of the House of Usher and
Edgar Allan Poe’s mentality was one of darkness and terror, and it is reflected in his story “The Fall of the House of Usher”. He uses an older dialect of English
An analytical essay of “The Fall of the House of Usher,” and “Where is Here?”
“Fear is not real. It is the product of thoughts you create. Danger is very real, but fear is only a choice.” Fear is not something that is always real, such as when Usher was scared but there was nothing to fear yet, but the danger at the end of the story, especially for Ushers friend, was something to fear for. In the Gothic Literature short story, “The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allan Poe, the setting is somber and creates an illusion of darkness. On the other hand, “House Taken Over” by Julio Cortazar, portrays the idea of magical realism in, which setting is more realistic and less gloomy. Although Gothic Literature and Magical Realism are similar, there are also many differences, especially in their settings.
In The Fall Of The House of Usher, Poe explores challenging themes, the most prominent of which is the theme of identity. Throughout the story, the narrator tells us of his experiences with what is left of the Usher family at their estate. The theme of identity is clearly stated right at
First, in “The Fall of the House of Usher” the author uses the transformation of Roderick Usher to create an
Familial relationships enhance unity and trust and other important values that we may use in our daily lives. Within society, family is highly important, which may be the reason why Edgar Allan Poe decided to symbolize it through the aspect of the House. One could say; the passage depicts the idea that looks can be deceiving, especially when it comes to family. In regard to the hidden depths in Poe’s story, The Fall of the House of Usher, it is evident that in theory the house of Usher is in fact a visual representation of the family. The passage appears near the beginning of the story. It also in detail describes the appearance of the House of Usher. The narrator first saw the masonry through what he thought was antiquity, but in closely evaluating
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.
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.
Roderick Usher is a victim of circumstance. The House he has known his whole life seems to have turned against him. Poe
In the story “ 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 mental disorder and Madeline was physically sick. As the narrator enters the desolate house, he finds both Roderick and his sister in a severe state of depression and they both appear sick like. The narrator tries to make Roderick feel better, but Roderick wouldn’t budge. Roderick thinks that the house is making him sick and making him to appear crazy.
Family is a prevailing theme in this story. The tale essentially documents the demise of a family name. The Ushers have been a significant and reputable family: their house is of considerably large size, they are apparently well educated, and they have servants. On the other hand, they have not produced enough offspring in order for their lineage to persevere. Furthermore, Roderick claims that the nervous exhaustion he continually suffers is hereditary. Therefore,
“The Fall of the House of Usher (1939)”, arguably Edgar Allan Poe’s most famous short story, is a tale centered around the mysterious House of Usher and its equally indiscernible inhabitants. These subjects are plagued with physical and mental degradation – the Usher siblings suffer from various abnormal ailments and unexplained fears, while the house itself seems to be tethering on the edge of collapse. The gothic elements in the story are distributed generously, and the plot is increasingly ridden with the supernatural as it progresses.
The Fall of the House of Usher is a story “of sickness, madness, incest, and the danger of unrestrained creativity. This is among Poe's most popular and critically-examined horror stories” (Gordon). For example if you were to close your eyes while someone was reading the story you would see the house “decaying” in your imagination (Poe). From the start of the story the narrator’s strange “insufferable gloom” is introduced. He notes the darkness of his surrounding (Gordon). The stories are very deeply described and felt.
The long family line has imprinted its aura onto the house, and in turn, the house conduces the inhabitants towards a predetermined lifestyle. The Usher family, as the narrator says, despite its age, has always been feeble, because it has never been able to generate an enduring branch. Just as the family, the house has a sturdy appearance, given by its endurance through time, but it is marked by decay and so are its surroundings: the crumbled stones, the trees and the spooky tarn all add to the oppressive, uncanny atmosphere. Just as the individual parts which shape the domain are marked by decomposition, so is each member of the family plagued by some form of disintegration.