Edgar Allan’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” explores a subject that the world knew little about at the time. The narrative short story, which was written in 1839 explores the theme of mental illness during a time that the world knew nothing about psychological science. Through the characters and tone, the author is able to examine the theme of madness in depth. As the topic suggests, the family of a man named Usher ends when the only two remaining members die at the end of the story. The events in the story are tragic. Through the experiences of the characters, the author creates an environment of horror, fear, pain and destruction which best paints the picture of consequences of mental illness.
“The Fall of the House of Usher” mostly rotates around three characters; the unnamed narrator, his friend Roderick Usher, and Roderick’s sister Madeline. The author also personifies the house of the family to fit in as one of the major players in the story. “I looked upon the scene before me, upon the mere house, and the simple landscape before my domain, upon the bleak wall, upon, the vacant eye-like windows, upon the rank sedges, and upon the a few white trunks of decayed tree,” describes the narrator referring to the home of the family of Usher (Rhys, 1921 p.1). The house has an outstanding crack that widens in the shining moonlight at the end of the story before it splits into two fragments and sinks in the tarn. It is in this house that most of the events of the story go down. The author uses the description of the house to set in the mood of loneliness and death that is in the house. The house shapes the mood of those in and even those outside it. “I know not how it was, but with the glimpse of the building, a sense of insufferable gloom pervaded my spirit,” said the narrator confirming the effects the house had even to those who did not belong in it. There is only one member of the house who is still alive. The suffering caused by the departing of his loved ones seems to be the cause of his mental illness. The narrator also informs the audience of the incestuous characteristic of the family of Usher, another reason that could have led to their end.
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The narrator is the character whose side of view helps build the story. Moreover, the narrator who is a friend of Roderick from childhood tells the audience about the family of Usher. He says that although Roderick is “one of his boon companion in boyhood” (Rhys, 1921; p. 2), he has never known him well enough. This shows that Roderick has been a reserved person since he was a young boy. The fact that the narrator is his only friend also depicts that Roderick is a withdrawn person. Roderick’s character further represents the mystery in the events of the story. The way the narrator describes Roderick’s family makes the audience understand the pressure that was on the members of the family of Usher to maintain high social standards. From his exploration of the surrounding as well as the interior of the house, the narrator paints the image of strange and inexplicable sensations associated with the falling house of Usher. The events that go on in that house also make the narrator doubt his sanity. Roderick has a mental illness, and the narrator goes over his house to try and help him cheer up. As the narrator describes him, Roderick is a cultured, educated, and a sensitive man who is also skilled in music. He is trapped in the haunted and seemingly supernatural house that is filled with his fears. This makes his conditions worse, and eventually, the haunted house kills him.
By using diction, the author sets a tone that increases an eerie feeling throughout the story. The way the author explains the sicknesses triggers emotions of sympathy. “A settled apathy, a gradual wasting way of the person, and frequent although transient affections of a partially cataleptically character were the unusual diagnosis,” describes the narrator showing the misery brought by the sicknesses in the house of the Usher family. The description of the events that go down toward the end of the story trigger fear. Even the narrator flees the haunted house as it collapses and kills his friend. Roderick buries his sister alive and claims that he knew it. This makes the audience imagine the suffering the siblings undergo due to their condition.
The theme of mental illness is a key element of the story. The haunted house represents the environment which can make one develop psychological problem just like Roderick did. The author also reflects on the aspects of genetically passed illnesses by creating the story of a family that opposed intermarriage with outsiders, something that led to the ending of their family lineage due to diseases. The events in the story reflect symptoms of mental illness. Either environmental or genetic conditions can cause mental illness. Roderick grows up as a reserved and withdrawn person. Being a member of his family came with a lot of pressure and expectation. In addition, his family was incestuous making them vulnerable to genetic diseases. His family members die adding more stress to him. He fears being left lonely and, therefore, prefers to die with the last member of his family, his sister.
Reference
Rhys, E. (1921). The Haunters and the Haunted, Ghost Stories and Tales of the Supernatural, Edited with an Introduction by Ernest Rhys . The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe. London: D. O’Connor.
