House Of Usher Symbolism

In the story, “The Fall of the House of Usher”, written by Edgar Allen Poe, the house inhabited by the Usher family is the main and most important piece of symbolism. The fungus that covers the outside of the house is symbolizing the deterioration of Roderick’s appearance due to his illness. The crack on the outside of the house is symbolizing the “crack” in Roderick’s mental state. The inside of the house is representing that the Usher family has not been able to advance through time because of the ailment. Throughout the story, “The Fall of the House of Usher”, the appearance of the house directly relates to the condition of Roderick Usher and the the rest of the Usher family.

The white fungus covering the outside of the house has several different possible interpretations in the story. The fungus mainly stands for the deterioration of Roderick’s’ appearance throughout the story. When the narrator …show more content…
The narrator states that, “The general furniture was profuse, comfortless, antique, and tattered.” meaning that the inside of the house has not been renovated in a while because it would not be the most important task at that moment. The narrator also says that “Many books and musical instruments lay scattered about, but failed to give any vitality to the scene.” This quote shows that even the scattered items around the house fail to give it a cheerier or livelier feel because the only two Usher's alive in the house are deathly ill. Due to the illness that is exterminating the Usher family, the inside of the house reflects that everything has happened so quickly, that taking proper care of the house is not a top priority. Since the furniture is all old and antique it shows that the house is not being kept up with the times, which makes sense because the Ushers are barely able to keep up with time themselves as the illness is undoubtedly closing in on them. (Poe,