Essay On The Fall Of The House Of Usher

Not many would decide to bury a sibling inside a wall of the house they live in; however, in “The Fall of the House of Usher”, this is, unfortunately, the case. However, what tone does this event express? Why is this such an important part of the story? Can anything be learned from this situation? With the way that this event is inspired, Poe’s writes this classic short story in a very fatalistic tone, as seen when analysing the characters and the setting of the story. The story is focused around the two Usher twins, Roderick and Madeline. Both Roderick and Madeline face many challenges, including mental and physical diseases, which cause a good amount of distress and loss of sanity, especially with Roderick. As quoted in the story, “The writer spoke of acute bodily illness -- of a mental disorder which oppressed him.” (line 39, “Usher”.) Even at the beginning of “The Fall of the House of Usher”, the ending was being hinted at, supporting even more the fact that Poe wrote this story in a fatalistic manner. Though more observation may be needed for some, the fact that the two main characters have both
succumbed to some sort of disease sheds off a slight foreshadowing. Also spoken by the narrator: “I had learned, too, the very remarkable fact, that the stem of the Usher race...had put forth, at no period, any enduring branch…” (line 55, “Usher”.) Clearly, the topic of how the Usher name was going to no longer live on, due to no future generations and offspring, is discussed by the narrator and Roderick Usher. The two discuss towards the middle of Poe’s work that neither Roderick or Madeline have had relationships or chances at continuing the Usher name. With the characters, one can see many attributes that support the ideal of the fatalistic style that “The Fall of the House of Usher” is written in. The setting also provides clues and hints to help guide the reader and to create potential foreshadowing of events.
Poe gives great detail of the setting of the story, especially in this quote; “I know not how it was -- but, with the first glimpse of the building, a sense of insufferable gloom pervaded my spirit.” (line 5, 412, “Usher”.) Here, the narrator is talking about how the house, upon a first glance, leaves you with a chilling sense of dreadfulness and causes a wave of anxiety on oneself. Even the first sentence of the story exclaims the gloominess of the setting, with the sentence being, “During the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year…” (line 1, 412, “Usher”.) Right away, the reader takes in the fact that the story is set during a gloomy, muggy day, adding much to the fatalistic tone that is expressed throughout this
story. “The Fall of the House Of Usher” may be portrayed to have other tones. However, the one that is shown and focused on the most is Poe’s choice in using fatalism as his style that this story is written in. Expressed mostly through the personalities of the characters and the way the setting is described by the narrator, the fatalistic tone that Poe writes this story in is seen most through the analysis of these two aspects. Though Poe writes many things that are quite unrealistic, a reader can still learn, even from how one of the Usher twins buried his sister in a wall, the fact that many would not take and go through with such drastic measures as the twins took in this story. Because of this, Poe is still appealing today, both because of his interesting content and the lessons that could be learned from the stories and tales he wrote.