THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER ...
THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER
- Edgar Allan Poe
Introduction:
Hezekiah Usher House could provide a source of inspiration for poe's story. The house was located in the usher estate. The house was built in 1684 and was relocated in 1830. The sources indicate that the owner of the house caught a sailor and his young wife in the house and buried them in their place of trysting. In 1830, when the house was torn down, two bodies were found in the cellar cavity.
Theme of the Story:
The story "The fall of the house of Usher" is regarded as the best example of the totality of poe as every detail and element in the short story is relevant and related.
The characteristic element of poe's work is the presence of capacious and disintegrating houses; such houses in the stories symbolize the destruction of the human soul and the human body.
Summary:
The short story opens with an unnamed narrator who approaches House of Usher on the dark, dull, and soundless day. The house belongs to his boyhood friend Roderick Usher. The house is mysterious and gloomy. The narrator noticed the diseased atmosphere and absorbed evil in the house from the murky pond and decaying trees around the house. He also observes that even though the house appears to be decaying, its structure is fairly solid. In front of the building, there is no small crack from the roof to the ground.
The narrator has visited the house because Roderick Usher has sent him a letter that sincerely asks him to give him company. In the letter, Roderick has mentioned that he has been physically and emotionally ill due to which the narrator has rushed to help his friend.
The narrator then mentions the Usher family. He says that though they are an ancient clan, they have never flourished. From generation to generation, only one member of the family survives. Therefore, they formed a direct line of descent with no branches from outside. With its estate, the Usher family becomes so much identified that people often confuse the inhabitants with the home.
The narrator further mentions that the inside of the house is as scary and frightening as inside. He goes to the room where Roderick is waiting for him. He observes him be less energetic and paler. Roderick tells him that he is suffering from fear and nerves, and his senses get heightened.
The narrator also mentions that Roderick appears to be afraid of his own house. Madeline, the sister of Roderick, is taken with a mysterious illness that cannot be cured by the doctors. She is perhaps suffering from catalepsy in which one loses the control of his/her limbs. To cheer up his friend, the narrator spends several days with him. He listens to his friend and plays guitar. He also reads stories to him; however, he is able to lift the spirit of Roderick. Soon afterward, Roderick claims that the house is unhealthy.
Madeline dies, and Roderick resolves to bury her in the house temporarily. Since her disease was rare and unique, he fears that the doctors may take her dead body scientific research, so he wants to keep her in house. The narrator helps his friend to put Madeline’s body in the tomb and observes that her cheeks are rosy. He also realizes that Madeline and Roderick were twins.
With passing days, Roderick becomes more uncomfortable. The narrator was unable to sleep one night. Roderick knocks on the door in a hysterical state. He takes the narrator to the window. The see a bright-looking gas nearby the house. The narrator tells him that such gas is natural; there is nothing uncommon in it.
In order to pass the night, the narrator reads a story to Roderick. He reads Sir Launcelot Canning’s “Mad Twist,” a medieval romance. When he reads the story, he starts hearing the noises that resemble the description in the story. Initially, he ignores the noises thinking it to be his imagination. However, the noises become more clear and more distinct after some time that it cannot be ignored.
He also observes that Roderick has fallen over his chair and is muttering to himself. To listen to him, the narrator approaches him. Roderick discloses that he has been hearing such noises for days and thinks that they have buried Madeline alive. It is Madeline trying to escape. He cries that she is standing behind him. The door opens with the wind blowing, and Madeline was standing behind it in a white bloodied robe. She instantly attacks him, and he dies of fear. The narrator runs from the house. As soon as he escapes, the house of Usher cracks and crumbles to the ground.
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