Just like the outside of the house is falling apart, so is Rodrick’s mental stability and sanity; Rodrick suffers inside the house and his mind is deteriorating and decaying. Keith Neilson writes how “The Fall of the House of Usher” is a Dark Romantic work because it contains a “haunted atmosphere, darkness, and evilness” (Neilson). Poe writings and works are heavily layered with Dark Romantic ideas to visually display the supernatural and mystical scenes that he presents to the readers. Edgar Allan Poe writes of evilness and suffering to expose the readers to the faults of humanity and the darkness that exists in the world. His powerful and dark descriptions not only leave a lasting mark on readers’ emotions but an impression on the literary world as
At first glimpse, the house itself is surrounded by the feeling of “insufferable gloom”, (1265) “[t]here was an iciness, a sinking, a sickening of the heart, an unredeemed dreariness of thought [...]” (1265). The atmosphere that Poe describes in the statement above establishes a spine-chilling mood. Poe uses words such as “insufferable gloom” (1265) along with other disturbing words to stress the mood of horror. Furthermore, the house evokes suspense as it strikes the reader with curiosity as to why the building presents such a dreadful and uneasy feeling. Poe describes the house with further detail emphasizing its ghostly traits: “Dark draperies hung upon the walls.
Poe uses an unnamed narrator to explain the emotions the house gave him, but no words could amount to how horrifying the house was. The narrator felt gloom. Poe’s continuance use of dark diction “dreary, dark, gloom, and dull” creates a mood of horror in “The Fall of the House of Usher”. The setting is everything in story like Wilson stated, "The setting... plays an integral part in the story because it establishes an atmosphere of dreariness and decay"(page 55). The dreariness was the darkness Poe mentioned that fell upon the house of usher.
Wuthering Heights is an old stone house with gothic architecture and bleak interior. The people that live in Wuthering Heights are bitter and act violent. The characters of the story act wild when they are at Wuthering Heights, compared to other places in the novel. The setting of the house enforces the actions of the Earnshaws’, and Heathcliff. The name of the estate even sets a theme of gloom in the novel.
The House of Usher refers to both the house and the family. The ghastly images inside the house symbolize the madness of the house 's inhabitants. The Gothic literature and stories of strange goings-on represent the inhabitants ' thoughts. The fungi and physical deterioration of the house symbolizes the physical deterioration of Roderick and Madeline. The upside down reflection of the house in the tarn symbolizes the upside down thinking of the Ushers.
The House and its Inhabitants In the story “The Fall of the House of Usher”, Poe presents the history of the end of an illustrious family. As with many of Poe’s stories, setting and mood contribute greatly to the overall tale. Poe’s descriptions of the house itself as well as the inhabitants thereof invoke in the reader a feeling of gloom and terror. This can best be seen first by considering Poe’s description of the house and then comparing it to his description of its inhabitants, Roderick and Madeline Usher. Poe uses several descriptive words in his portrayal of the house.
Upon entering the house, the narrator describes an inherent darkness and bleakness throughout. In the study where the narrator’s childhood friend, Roderick Usher, waits for him, the room has an absence of light setting a bleak appearance, “an atmosphere of sorrow… and [an] irredeemable gloom hung over and pervaded all,” (Poe) The narrator also describes an inherent lack of color in the physical appearance and personalities of the Ushers. He describes Roderick Usher as having a thin face with thin lips, and note... ... middle of paper ... ...Web. 21 Mar.
He describes his superstition one night, "I endeavored to believe that much, if not all of what I felt, was due to the phantasmagoric influence of the gloomy furniture of the room…" (1468). Hence, Poe makes use of the house to create a supernatural effect. Likewise, Poe describes the house to create a terrifying effect. "The Fall of the House of Usher" is a horror story. In order to develop a mood to get the reader frightened, Poe must portray the setting of the story.
In the beginning of the story, Poe describes the bleak condition of the house, surrounded by twisted trees and sitting in a dark tarn. Its vacant, eyelike windows evoke a sense of horror at what might be watching, while its inhabitants slowly succumb to the shifting aura of phantasm that encompasses both edifice and interior. In his description of Roderick, Poe portrays a man in a highly nervous state, barely able to contain the inner terror he experiences at every turn. The web-like, aerial, almost unhuman hair is comparable to the webs of fungi on the walls of his house, and his deteriorating health can be traced to the crumbling of its walls. From the beginning, it is made clear that there is more than one tie linking the deteriorating mental and physical condition of the inhabitants to the slow decay of its foundations.
The house of Usher looks run down, scary, and gloomy, like a haunted house. The setting in the first two pages creates this sad and scary mood throughout the rest of the story. Poe uses words such as “black, vacant, decayed, gray, gothic and sluggish” to create the atmosphere. This creates a very effective atmosphere in the entire story and the story revolves around the atmosphere in its entirety, showing that this is no ordinary house and there is evil involved. Edgar Allan Poe uses settin... ... middle of paper ... ...uses setting in the story, “The Fall of the House of Usher” to set the overall mood of the story, to foreshadow what will happen at the end of the story, and show character traits.