House Of Usher Symbolism
Edgar Allan Poe uses imagery in “The Fall of the House of Usher” in order to set up the symbolism between Roderick,Madeline, and the house. At the beginning of the story, when the narrator first comes to the house, he describes it as large and impressive, while also being in poor condition. One of the many ideas that he notes about the condition of the house is, “The crumbling condition of the individual stones” (Poe). Poe conveys the look of a house that is still standing and functional, but in worsening condition. This stands for the collapsing of the Usher family. This imagery is revealed as symbolism later in the story. Similarly, this type of symbolism can also be seen when the narrator speaks of the fact that the mansion is fungus-ridden.
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In “The Fall of the House of Usher”, everything literally crumbles and falls down when the family members of the Usher family fall. Poe uses that symbolism in order to attempt to get across the message that everything can fall with the demise of a family. Poe’s parents passed away when he was very young, and from then on, he had many hardships. He was adopted into a family and when he went off to college his foster parents did not cover the full cost. As a result he developed a bad gambling problem that combined with the fee for college, led him into even deeper debt. Debt that his foster parents were not willing to cover. Poe is said to have been so poor that he burned furniture for warmth. Humiliated, Poe returned home and when he went to visit his fiancee he discovered she had been become engaged with another man while he was gone. Next, Poe attended West Point. After he decided that it was not for him he left and then discovered that his brother Henry and his foster mom, whom he adored, were both near death from tuberculosis. Poe would remain poor for the rest of his life. But, at one point he married and had a family and just when things seemed to be falling into place, his wife also died from tuberculosis. Poe’s family life began to crumble when his parents died, and never stopped crumbling downwards as things seem to have only continued to
In “The Fall of the House of Usher”, everything literally crumbles and falls down when the family members of the Usher family fall. Poe uses that symbolism in order to attempt to get across the message that everything can fall with the demise of a family. Poe’s parents passed away when he was very young, and from then on, he had many hardships. He was adopted into a family and when he went off to college his foster parents did not cover the full cost. As a result he developed a bad gambling problem that combined with the fee for college, led him into even deeper debt. Debt that his foster parents were not willing to cover. Poe is said to have been so poor that he burned furniture for warmth. Humiliated, Poe returned home and when he went to visit his fiancee he discovered she had been become engaged with another man while he was gone. Next, Poe attended West Point. After he decided that it was not for him he left and then discovered that his brother Henry and his foster mom, whom he adored, were both near death from tuberculosis. Poe would remain poor for the rest of his life. But, at one point he married and had a family and just when things seemed to be falling into place, his wife also died from tuberculosis. Poe’s family life began to crumble when his parents died, and never stopped crumbling downwards as things seem to have only continued to