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Edgar Allan Poe created the first of what is known now as horror stories with The Fall of
the House of Usher. He incorporates the feeling of horror into the story by using imagery
throughout. One of the most important aspects of the story is the Usher house. It is
explained in explicit detail to set the mood of the story. The narrator describes the house
as deteriorating with ‘extraordinary dilapidation’. “No portion of the masonry had fallen;
and there appeared to be a wild inconsistency between its still perfect adaptation of parts,
and the crumbling condition of the individual stones.” (p196-197) Fungi was growing on
the exterior, the woodwork was rotting and there was a large crack down the middle of
the house. As the narrator enters the house he notices the dieing elegance of it. Things
were out of order and some things were scattered about. Seeing the trophies and the
tapestries on the walls, fill him with a sense of superstition. Roderick’s room had dark
draperies on the walls, making it even more gloomy. The house is describes as having
supernatural characteristics. It reflects the condition of Madeline and Roderick – they are
both deteriorating.
Another important part in the story that includes imagery is the entombment of
The Essay on The Lake House Story
The stories is about six hybrid children (bird/human) Max, Oz, Mathew, Ic, Peter and Wendy who were rescued from a place called the “Hospital”. The children were rescued by a vet named Frannie O’Neil and a FBI agent named Kit. After being rescued by the couple the kids built a strong bond with Frannie and Kit after staying with them for sometime. The couple soon find themselves ...
Madeline. “At the request of Usher, I personally aided him the arrangements for the
temporary entombment.” (p202) The description of the vault in which Madeline is
entombed is small, damp, and with no light at all. They heavy iron door that closes the
vault has distinct squeaky hinges. The basement is further described as being an old
‘donjon-keep’ which makes you visualize how eerie the setting is. This further develops
the intense mood of the story and creates a terrifying effect.
Madeline’s appearance at the end of the story is the climax and the height of the
story. Roderick had been hearing her in his mind and he knew that she was coming. “It
was the work of the rushing gust – but then without those doors there did stand the lofty
and enshrouded figure of the lady Madeline of Usher” (p206) Her robes were covered in
blood and there was evidence that she has had a struggle getting out of the vault as it
seems. It seems that Poe wants you to draw your own conclusions of weather she actually
got out of the vault or not. It could have been all in Roderick and the narrator’s mind due
to the circumstances. It may have been Madeline’s ghost coming back to get Roderick.
Once you draw a conclusion in your mind it’s easy to visualize what is happening. The
fright of Madeline in essence scared Roderick to death and he dies along with her. After
they die and the narrator has left the house it crumbles to the ground. The Ushers and
their house have fallen.
