Symbolism In The Fall Of The House Of Usher
Ushers Home In general, we use spoken language or use symbols to help us communicate with one another. Surprisingly every word is a symbol for something. For example, the word house is a sound but also represents the physical object of a house. In regards to symbolism it can be used for really anything. Symbolism can transform any word to the point that it has a stronger meaning behind it. In the short story “The Fall of the House of Usher” Edgar Allan Poe is able to incorporate a lot of symbolism.
Poe uses symbolic imagery to portray Usher’s mansion and the houses’ surroundings,to reflect upon Usher’s physical declining health and his progressive decaying family line. A strong orderly house reflects on the homeowner who is most likely
a clean and responsible person who cares about their well being and their homes.When the narrator first comes to the Usher’s mansion he observed that the house looked much different than what once was a graceful mansion.When the narrator finished scanning the mansion he couldn’t fail but notice that the,”fungi overspread the whole exterior,yet all of this was apart from an extraordinary dilapidation”(298).Fungi is a yeast or mold that grows and doesn’t stop growing until it has been exterminated.The fact that there is fungi growing on the house implies that it is dirty and hasn’t been cleaned in a long time,therefore the fungi has spread all over the whole entire mansion.The deficient maintenance on the home suggests that the homeowner,Roderick, has not been taking care of his home or himself,he may possibly be dead or on the verge of death.A home with inaquedate components will eventually collapse.The narrator detected,”a barely perceptible fissure,which,extended from the roof of the building in front made its way down the wall in a zigzag direction”(299).A fissure is essentially a cracking in an opening.The fissure represents the quarelling between him and his twin sister Madeline.The tension between Roderick and Madeline progressively grows and eventually demolishes the family line.As well as the mansions physical state,it was also encompassed by plenty of,”white trunks-with an utter depression of the soul”(297).The trees enclosing the mansion are decaying and nearly dead.The decaying trees represent Rodericks health.The trees will decay and die as will Roderick.The trees not only represent his decling health but also his declining family line.Once Roderick and Madeline pass away the Usher name would be as if it never existed.The color black can best be represented by death.”A pestilent and mystic vapor,dull,sluggish,faintly discernible and leaden-hued”encompassed the Usher mansion(298).Clear dark evil vapor slowly entered the home and eventually filled the mansion.The vapor arising in the home is inferring that death is on its way and it’s coming for Roderick.The exterior of the home represent Usher and his declining health as well as his family lineage. The Usher mansion’s interior represents Rodericks deterriorating being and conciousness as well as the inhabitants of the home.The homeowners choice in furniture shows what type of style that person is into or their preference.”The general furniture was profuse,comfortless,antique and beaten down”(299).The furniture inside of the mansion is uncomftorable,fragile and old.Roderick seems to feel exactly like his furniture with his deterroriating self.Other than the furniture being old,it is also”scattered about and failed to give any vitality to the scene”(299).Ushers scattered mine similarily resembled the scattered furniture.As Usher began to grow older and older and death was nearer, his mind slowly began to lose it’s concentration.Who you really are is directly reflected by who you surround yourself with.The narrator was escorted by butler who,”threw open a door and ushered me into the prescence of his master”(299).The fact that Roderick need a butler in order to escort his guests into his own home represents how weak he is.Roderick needs a valet to greet his guests because he is too weak to do it himself.Normally,a doctor would be called in order to examin e one who is ill.As the narrator is approaching the home he encounters “the physician of the family”(299).We can assume that Roderick just had an apointment with the doctor.Roderick’s physical state has caused him to have to see a doctor on a daily basis. In the short story “The Fall of the House of Usher,” Edgar Allan Poe is able to put symbolism behind all the words so that each word has a stronger meaning behind it. The House of Usher in the story represents Edgar's death. It also represents the death of the Poe family. Poe is able to show us that life is full of choices and that each person has their own mindset. We all have those terrible memories we often think about but we shouldn’t focus on the negativity. Instead, we should think positively and move forward with our lives and leave the negative aspects of life behind us.
Poe uses symbolic imagery to portray Usher’s mansion and the houses’ surroundings,to reflect upon Usher’s physical declining health and his progressive decaying family line. A strong orderly house reflects on the homeowner who is most likely
a clean and responsible person who cares about their well being and their homes.When the narrator first comes to the Usher’s mansion he observed that the house looked much different than what once was a graceful mansion.When the narrator finished scanning the mansion he couldn’t fail but notice that the,”fungi overspread the whole exterior,yet all of this was apart from an extraordinary dilapidation”(298).Fungi is a yeast or mold that grows and doesn’t stop growing until it has been exterminated.The fact that there is fungi growing on the house implies that it is dirty and hasn’t been cleaned in a long time,therefore the fungi has spread all over the whole entire mansion.The deficient maintenance on the home suggests that the homeowner,Roderick, has not been taking care of his home or himself,he may possibly be dead or on the verge of death.A home with inaquedate components will eventually collapse.The narrator detected,”a barely perceptible fissure,which,extended from the roof of the building in front made its way down the wall in a zigzag direction”(299).A fissure is essentially a cracking in an opening.The fissure represents the quarelling between him and his twin sister Madeline.The tension between Roderick and Madeline progressively grows and eventually demolishes the family line.As well as the mansions physical state,it was also encompassed by plenty of,”white trunks-with an utter depression of the soul”(297).The trees enclosing the mansion are decaying and nearly dead.The decaying trees represent Rodericks health.The trees will decay and die as will Roderick.The trees not only represent his decling health but also his declining family line.Once Roderick and Madeline pass away the Usher name would be as if it never existed.The color black can best be represented by death.”A pestilent and mystic vapor,dull,sluggish,faintly discernible and leaden-hued”encompassed the Usher mansion(298).Clear dark evil vapor slowly entered the home and eventually filled the mansion.The vapor arising in the home is inferring that death is on its way and it’s coming for Roderick.The exterior of the home represent Usher and his declining health as well as his family lineage. The Usher mansion’s interior represents Rodericks deterriorating being and conciousness as well as the inhabitants of the home.The homeowners choice in furniture shows what type of style that person is into or their preference.”The general furniture was profuse,comfortless,antique and beaten down”(299).The furniture inside of the mansion is uncomftorable,fragile and old.Roderick seems to feel exactly like his furniture with his deterroriating self.Other than the furniture being old,it is also”scattered about and failed to give any vitality to the scene”(299).Ushers scattered mine similarily resembled the scattered furniture.As Usher began to grow older and older and death was nearer, his mind slowly began to lose it’s concentration.Who you really are is directly reflected by who you surround yourself with.The narrator was escorted by butler who,”threw open a door and ushered me into the prescence of his master”(299).The fact that Roderick need a butler in order to escort his guests into his own home represents how weak he is.Roderick needs a valet to greet his guests because he is too weak to do it himself.Normally,a doctor would be called in order to examin e one who is ill.As the narrator is approaching the home he encounters “the physician of the family”(299).We can assume that Roderick just had an apointment with the doctor.Roderick’s physical state has caused him to have to see a doctor on a daily basis. In the short story “The Fall of the House of Usher,” Edgar Allan Poe is able to put symbolism behind all the words so that each word has a stronger meaning behind it. The House of Usher in the story represents Edgar's death. It also represents the death of the Poe family. Poe is able to show us that life is full of choices and that each person has their own mindset. We all have those terrible memories we often think about but we shouldn’t focus on the negativity. Instead, we should think positively and move forward with our lives and leave the negative aspects of life behind us.