In this essay I intend to discuss the the significance and development of the theme of the double in two stories written by one of the most well know American writers, Edgar Allan Poe. The two short stories I will be discussing are “William Wilson” and “The Fall of the House of Usher”. Throughout many of Poes’ stories we see a recurring theme in the form of the double, this theme is best shown in the stories “William Wilson” and “The Fall of the House of Usher”.
Although Poe examines the theme of the double in both stories, he portrays different elements and aspects of its character throughout both. In “The Fall of the House of Usher” Poe shows the theme through a complete split between the body and mind in twin siblings Roderick and Madeline. The twins are an external representation of the relationship between body
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The narrator feels that the boy is copying him and gets great pleasure in making himself an imitation of the narrator. “His cue, which was to perfect an imitation of myself, lay both in words and in actions; and most admirably did he play his part” (222). The narrator acknowledging the similarities between himself and the “other” William Wilson is the first sign of development of the theme in the story. However, there are two characteristics in which the two differ. The “other William Wilson had a “weakness in the faucial or guttural organs, which precluded him from raising his at any time above a very low whisper” (222) and the “other” William Wilsons instincts were good whereas the narrator proceeds to a life of crime through an addiction to alcohol and gambling. The theme of the double develops when the other William Wilson continues to show up in the narrators life to warn him of his inappropriate behaviour. The narrator feels that he is being conquered by his double, finally revealing the conflict between the
Poe’s frightening stories acts as helpful inspiration for entertainment in the present, and for many years to come. The timeless relevance of his work, and its merciless scrutiny of the human condition, solidifies its place in history and its position of high admiration. In conclusion, the extraordinary-fleeting-tragic life of Edgar Allan Poe will forever remain on record as the tale of an orphan, a gentleman, a soldier, and one of the most prominent literary figures in American history.
This paper will explore the connection of schizophrenia with Poe’s The Fall of The House of Usher (1839). This paper suggests that the characters of the twins Roderick Usher and Madeline Usher are not two characters, but in fact are one character
In Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado,” the main character, Montresor, leads his enemy, Fortunato, into his catacombs, and there buries him alive by bricking him up in a niche in the wall; Poe gives no actual reason for this except to say that Montresor has been “insulted” in some way. In his Science Fiction work “Usher II,” Ray Bradbury adopts many of Poe’s works in creating his story—including pieces from “TCoA.” What separates Bradbury’s work from other authors who borrow works and re-imagine them (Gregory Maguire’s Wicked, Geraldine Brooks’s March, and Peter Carrey’s Jack Maggs, for instance), is that “Usher II,” in its imaginative way, is trying to be one with its predecessor. Bradbury seeks to retain Poe’s love of the double and the secretive (Gothic mentalities where the reader is meant to be a bit uncertain about what they’re reading and what’s going on) while adding, most notably regarding “TCoA,” the things Poe never had much care for: a beginning, an end, and reason—thus making “Usher II” not only an homage to Poe’s work, but a companion piece whose beating heart lies within the original work.
In the short story, “The Fall of the House of Usher”, the point of view is told from our unknown narrator, whom comes to help fix the house, and help comfort Roderick Usher, but does not end up helping him. Also the main theme is evil since the house is evil. After Roderick buries his dead sister, Madeline, she comes back to life and kills Roderick, the unknown narrator runs for his life, and watches the house collapse. In the other themes, madness and insanity, is because Roderick is having mental and emotional breakdowns because of his sister’s death. AN interesting fact about Poe is that he loved cats. Poe’s own cats name was Catterina.
Poe also uses symbolism to represent the connection between the house and the Usher family. The description of the house itself has a shocking resemblance to that of Roderick and Madelyn Usher. Upon the main character’s arrival, Poe offers an interesting description of the building’s physical state. “The discoloration of age had been great. Minute fungi overspread the whole exterior, hanging in fine tangled web-work from the eves” (1266). Poe is able to establish an air of suspense by relating the state of the house to that of Roderick and Madelyn Usher.
Towards the middle of the story, Usher’s twin sister Madeline is shown to be sick and close to giving into the “prostrating power of her destroyer” (21). Eventually, Usher gives the narrator the bad news that Madeline has passed away and immediately be placed in the family burial vault until proper arrangements can be done. Later, it is revealed that Madeleine had been buried alive and Usher knew exactly what he had done. When the narrator confronted him about what he did to Madeline, Usher simply replied with “Not hear it - yes, I hear it, and have heard it. Long--long--long--many minutes, many hours, many days, have i heard it -- yet I dared not speak...” (28). This abnormal response gives insight into how much of Usher’s thoughts control him; he let his twin sister remain in a coffin buried alive and did absolutely nothing to save her. Poe attacks how vulnerable individuals become to their own minds and forces the readers to consider the downside of the Human Condition. Although not on such intense level as Usher, people let their thoughts define who they are and what they do. Insecurity, a problem among several teenagers and even adults, begins with the person’s thoughts and self-esteem. Due to insecurity, many believe they aren’t capable of doing what they love and that they should stick doing what their mind is convincing them to.
introduce and emphasize the notions of doubles and tangible abstractions without ever revealing the true identity of Wilson’s double. Finally, despite, culminating in the most direct and paramount manifestation of the abstraction of William Wilson’s conscience in the prank incident, the reader is still unaware of the story’s conclusion, but is well aware of the complications and notions that lead to the conclusion. In his book “Edgar Allan Poe: Rhetoric and Style”, Brett Zimmerman details the critique of other authors that Poe’s style “in his Gothic tales, stylistic qualities [are] considered excessive, obnoxious. However, it is important to note that, to the narrator, the most physically shocking and moving thing in this interaction was not the “finger” of this stranger, but the tone, the intangible abstraction of the “solemn admonition” in the “low whisper”.
Edgar Allen Poe’s short story, “The Fall of the House of Usher”, sets a tone that is dark, gloomy, and threatening. His inclusion of highly descriptive words and various forms of figurative language enhance the story’s evil nature, giving the house and its inhabitants eerie and “supernatural” qualities. Poe’s effective use of personification, symbolism, foreshadowing, and doubling create a morbid tale leading to, and ultimately causing, the fall of (the house of) Usher.
In “William Wilson”, Edgar Allan Poe teases his readers throughout the entirety of story with hints about its unexpectedly expected conclusion. Through figuratively-infused passages, Poe meticulously leads the reader to the front steps of the story’s ending without ever truly revealing the conclusion until the final sentences. Within those final sentences, the question of who the second William Wilson truly is, is answered, immediately transforming the story from a battle between two physical beings with both the same name and appearance into an internal battle staged within the mind of one man with conflicting desires. In order to create this dramatic and essential shift, Poe externalizes the protagonist’s internal struggle by blurring the
In "The Fall of the house of Usher," Edgar Allen Poe creates suspense and fear in the reader. He also tries to convince the reader not to let fear overcome him. Poe tries to evoke suspence in the reader's mind by using several diffenent scenes. These elements include setting, characters, plot, and theme. Poe uses setting primarily in this work to create atmosphere. The crack in the house and the dead trees imply that the house and its surroundings are not sturdy or promising. These elements indicate that a positive outcome is not expected. The thunder, strange light, and mist create a spooky feeling for the reader. The use of character provides action and suspense in the story through the characters' dialogue and actions. Roderick, who is hypochondriac, is very depressed. He has a fearful apperance and his senses are acute. This adds curiosity and anxiety. The narrator was fairly normal until he began to imagine things and become afraid himself. Because of this, the audience gets a sense that evil is lurking. Madeline is in a cataleptic state. She appears to be very weak and pail. Finally, when she dies, she is buried in a vault inside of the mansion. In this story, the plot consists of rising events, conflict, climax, and resolution. The rising events include the parts in the story when the narrator first arrives at the house, meets Roderick, and hears about Roderick's and Madeline's problems. Madeline's death and burial are part of the conflict. At this point, Roderick and the narrator begin to hear sounds throughout the house. The sounds are an omen that an evil action is about to occur. The climax is reached when Madeline comes back from the dead and she and her twin brother both die. Finally, the resolution comes when the narrator escapes from the house and turns around to watch it fall to the ground. The theme that Edgar Allen Poe is trying to convey is do not let fear take over your life because it could eventually destory you.
Edgar Allan Poe is one of America’s most celebrated classical authors, known for his unique dealings within the horror genre. Poe was a master at utilizing literary devices such as point of view and setting to enhance the mood and plot of his stories leading to his widespread appeal that remains intact to this day. His mastery of aforementioned devices is evident in two of his shorter works “The Black Cat” and “The Cask of Amontillado”.
In "The House of Poe", Richard Wilbur elucidates his criticisms of Poe 's work. He firstly comments on a critic 's purpose, then how Poe 's stories are all allegories. He then addresses the possible opposition to his argument, and then begins his discussion of the common themes in Poe 's writing and provides examples from his stories. This dissertation will analyze Wilbur 's criticism by cross referencing Poe 's work and how it exemplifies Wilbur 's assessment. There is a great deal of evidence to support Wilbur 's theories, but a close examination of each one will determine how legitimate his argument really is.
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.
Symbolism and incest are both very apparent themes throughout the story of "The Fall of the House of Usher", by Edgar Allan Poe, and helps us to better understand the events that occur. Poe uses his symbolism to reveal character traits, foreshadow future events and helps his reader to understand the events that occur throughout the story. Throughout the story we realize that the relationship between brother and sister is not a normal sibling bond. We also see that the siblings themselves are not normal in all the aspects of a human being.
If there is one thing that is widely agreed upon in regards to Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” it is surely the fact that the short story is one of the greatest ever written. The very words that Poe selects and the manner in which he pieced them was nothing short of phenomenal. This however, is pretty much all that people are able to agree upon. Indeed, to almost everyone who reads it sees the story as great, but for different reasons. In a way the tale can be compared to a psychiatrist’s inkblots. While everyone may be looking at the same picture, they all see different things. What mainly gives “The Fall of the House of Usher” this quality is the double meanings and symbols Poe seems to use throughout.