The fall of the house of Usher
The fall of the house of Usher is a supernatural horror story, written by Edgar Allan Poe. In the story, Poe investigates the situations that surround the usher family, which is bizarre. The usher family lives in isolation from the other people and does not show any sign of normalcy. However, the existence of this family has almost become a supernatural phenomenon. The mood of the story is somber, dark, and mysterious. Poe creates this mood by describing the deterioration of the house, together with the bleak surrounding.
The story begins with a description of the story setting. When the unknown narrator arrives in the house of Usher, he states that it was a “dull, dark, and soundless day” (Poe 90). The narrator goes ahead to explain what he sees in the house. “The bleak walls, vacant eye-like windows and a few white trunks of decayed trees” (Poe 90). The use of words such as dull, vacant, dark, and decayed portrays the somber mood in the house as well as the story.
Later in the story, Madeline, Roderick’s twin sister, dies from a mysterious disease. Roderick then buries her in the tombs under his house. The setting of the story is in the spooky house of usher family, which is isolated from other community members. The death of Madeline, as well as her burial, is creepy and creates a sad mood imagining that she would not receive a proper burial. During the day that the narrator was reading a story to Roderick, sounds in real life were also being heard. The wind blew the door to reveal Madeline, who was standing there. She then goes ahead to attack Roderick. The mood created by these actions is dark, mysterious, and creepy and results in their deaths.
The entire story has a dark, gothic, and mysterious feeling to it in which Poe is known for. He uses dark shady settings and the mysterious actions of characters to add to the spookiness feeling one gets from reading the story. The mood and atmosphere fit with the plot of the story. By using obscure words to create imagery, Poe brings the reader into his stories through emotions.
Reference
Poe, E. A. (2006). The fall of the house of Usher: and other tales. Penguin.