The Fall of the House of Usher

             Death, Decay, and Losing One's Mind: Poe's Use of Foreshadowing in His Description of the Setting in "The Fall of the House of Usher"
             In establishing a setting and atmosphere, one hopes to convey truths, create a mood, and possibly foreshadow future events. In his short story, "The Fall of the House of Usher," Edgar Allan Poe extensively describes the house and its vicinity to further enhance the plot. Roderick's illness necessitates that he isolate himself from the outside world. Similarly, a murky tarn separates the house from its surroundings. The large fissure, barely visible to the "scrutinizing observer" (Poe) foreshadows the collapse of the relationship between Roderick and Madeline, along with each of their deaths. By establishing an atmosphere of death and decay, Poe foreshadows the fall of the Usher family as well as the dissipation of Roderick's mental stability.
             Poe introduces the reader to the House of Usher on a "dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year" (Poe). As most are likely aware, autumn is the season of death. By simply informing the reader of the time of year, the narrator foreshadows the proceedings to occur later in the story. The sense of decay proves to be both progressive and impending. The narrator's foreshadowing continues through the description of the "mansion of gloom," illustrating the "bleak walls... vacant eye-like windows"(Poe) and later explaining how the house appeared to be wearing a veil. Personifying the building accomplishes two things: it creates a feeling of eeriness, as if the house may be watching the narrator, as well as forces the reader to equate the house with the family. It is soon learned that "the 'House of Usher' ... seemed to include.... both the family and the family mansion" (Poe). By des
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The Fall of the House of Usher. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 20:40, March 28, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/71895.html