Split Personalities in "The Fall of the House of Usher" Essay

The 19th century American poet, Edgar Allan Poe, had been plagued by grief from an early age. He was an amazing poet and author who just happened to have a darker story. Many who have studied this prestigious man feel that his works, though magnificent, were extremely dark. Some believe it was nothing more then a fancy for him to spin such gruesome tales. Others feel his work was manipulated by the misfortune of his past. These people have actually found evidence that agrees with this statement. The works of Edgar Allan Poe were inspired by the history and life style of the author. The evidence is evident, when people look back and examine the author, his life, and his writings closely.

During, “The Fall of the House of Usher” both the Narrator and Roderick felt that Madilyn Usher was still alive. One example of this was both Roderick and the Narrator heard Madilyn. When the Narrator first arrived at the house of Usher, Roderick explained that his sister Madilyn is dead and was claiming that he heard her. The Narrator knew Roderick was ill, but didn’t quite believe this to be true. Then, after being there for a while he, the narrator, began to hear Madilyn as well.

Roderick explained in the letter that he was feeling ill. The narrator tells us how only one member of his family has survived for many generations.

The narrator of the story stated that Roderick's fear might have been linked directly to the house. He explained how he is "enchanted by certain superstitious impressions in regard to the dwelling which he tenanted, and whence, for many years, he had never ventured forth." Roderick explained his feeling that he was stuck in the house and that horrible things would happen to him if he left. The narrator implied that Roderick's mental condition might have been relieved if he would leave the house and face his fears. However, because of

If Madeline was indeed a figment of Roderick’s imagination, Poe is here exploring the difference between the mental and physical self, and the importance that the two are similar.

All these things put together and a few others help to connect the house to Roderick and Lady Madeline. When the narrator first sees Roderick after a long period of time, he thinks that he resembles that of a corpse. Then Roderick tells him the reason for his appearance, why he looks so bad. He said he had an illness that was a “morbid acuteness of the senses.” The word morbid, when used anywhere, has very strong meaning and it is of the negative type. He uses the word tortured when he is describing his eyesight and says that even the slightest sound is almost unbearable. Thinking about having all of these symptoms put together is a very bad picture to paint in your mind. His condition, in this case, is very comparable to that of the condition of the house.

Poe’s use of play on words contributes to the sense of confusion and disarray. For example, Usher, is not only the family name, but it could also be interpreted as the exact definition of usher, which means to show or guide someone to a certain place. This is what Roderick did when he invited the narrator to the house. Roderick “ushered” him into a whole new world of darkness and deception. This may explain the reason of the house’s downfall. There was a compassionate man that entered the house, which led to an imbalance. The house, almost like a person, could not handle the change within and it crumbled into the ground.

The downfalls of Roderick and the narrator juxtapose in order to emphasize the House’s true reign over the characters. The House began haunting the narrator from the moment he first viewed it. Yet it seems only to disturb him in subtle ways whereas Roderick, a resident of the House, seems to be degenerating at a pace similar to it. Just as the

Roderick, who believes he buried her alive, is going insane because when he imagines that she appears in front of her. Poe describes the feelings of Roderick in a manner that one can sense the fear that he must feel seeing someone return from the grave.

Edgar Allan Poe is considered to be one of the greatest American writers of all time. His writing is dark and sinister. He wrote of death, murder, psychosis, and obsession. One could only imagine what would bring a person to write such morbid stories. Perhaps, it may be attributed to Poe’s childhood, a past that was sad and far from average. Both of his parents died when he was only three years of age (Shelley). The death of his parents caused a separation from his siblings and he moved to live with his relatives (Shelley). In later years, Poe endured poverty and the loss of his wife-to-be to another man (Clark). Possibly, without those troubling experiences, Poe couldn’t have imagined such eerie and enthralling tales. Some of his most

On the night the narrator arrives, Roderick's sister Madeline finally passes away. Roderick is very disturbed by his sister's death. Roderick begins to go insane after the burial of his sister. Stricken with guilt, he starts to believe that she is still alive in her tomb. The narrator tries to calm Roderick by reading him a story entitled "Mad Twist." This story is very ironic to the situation that the narrator is resolving. "It was, however, the only book immediately at hand: and I indulged a vague hope that the excitement which now

Massively recognized and known writer Edgar Allan Poe had a very different background and life story than what most people have had. Through out a lot of his writings he has written, he portrays his life experiences and reflects a lot about how he was mentally. The experiences and situations that Poe was subjected to was by no means what anyone should go through, especially at the age Poe experienced his tragic experiences. Though he faced many obstacles, he did not give up his passion of writing, as most people that would have gone through the same experiences would give up on life and their life aspirations. Poe’s writings are a true exposure of the view of the world through the eyes and mind of someone who has been permanently damaged through life experiences.

Edgar Allan Poe was born January 19, 1809, and died October 7, 1849; he lived only forty years, but during his brief lifetime, he made a permanent place for himself in American literature and also in world literature. A few facts about Poe's life are indisputable, but, unfortunately, almost everything else about Poe's life has been falsified, romanticized, slanderously distorted, or subjected to grotesque Freudian interpretations. Poe, it has been said at various times, was a manic depressive, a dope addict, an epileptic, and an alcoholic; moreover, it has been whispered that he was syphilitic, that he was impotent, and that he fathered at least one illegitimate child. Hardly any of Poe's biographers have been content to write a straight account

Edgar Allan Poe was one of the greatest writers of the 19th century. He is is well known for his gothic themes and disturbing characters. Unfortunately, Poe lived a life full of sorrow and pain, having nearly everyone he loved die. His poem Alone is said to have been a confessional poem, recalling how Poe felt growing up. Poe’s use of repetition, metaphors, and imagery all aid in bringing the reader closer to understanding what was going on in Poe’s mind.

You may speculate how Edgar Allen Poe was inspired to write his short stories, or how they related to his life. Well firstly, his father abandoned his family, then his mother died when he was very young. His foster father, John Allen, unpredictably fluctuated between lenience and extreme punishment. Poe married his cousin Virginia who was much younger than him, but also died at a young age. So, is it any wonder that Poe’s work focused on the ghoulish, bizarre and the outcast? Arguably not, the wonder is undeniably focused on the fact that he made such remarkable art from his anguish. Edgar Allen Poe elevated the American short story to a new level, before his death at the age of 40, writing works that totally modernised detective fiction, science fiction, and of course, the horror story.