In the very beginning of the story, on a “dull, dark, and soundless day,” an unnamed narrator approaches the house of Usher. The house appears to be gloomy, secretive, and mysterious. The narrator likewise notes that Roderick Usher appears to be afraid of his own house. As the narrator go into the low-spirited house, he finds both Roderick and his sister in a severe condition of depression, and both appear to be very ill. The tone that the narrator uses to describe his observation in the story instantly draws the reader’s attention to the abnormalities that are going on with the House of Usher. Yet, one of the most thought-provoking things the narrator does is maintaining, over and over again, that all efforts to perfectly describe the bizarre happenings in the story of “The Fall of the House of Usher” are basically unsuccessful. “I should fail in any attempt to convey an idea of the exact character of the studies, or of the occupations, in which he involved me.” (106) It feels as if the narrator was trying to make a point to the reader that whatever he said was going on - was in reality …show more content…
His style of writing is very distinctive but brilliant. Poe’s ending to the story leaves the reader with many unanswered questions. Is the story written about a haunted house, or a brother’s betrayal? Is it genuine or fabricated? Nevertheless the reader is left in an unknown state of mind. Was it really Lady Madeline, or her spirit that took vengeance upon Roderick at the end of the story? Earlier in the story the narrator detailed, “I learned that the glimpse I had obtained of her person would thus probably be the last I should obtain—that the lady, at least while living,” (108) a phrase that would conceivably suggest Lady Madeline had died and returned as a ghost. Yet, another phrase spoken by her brother, “I dared not speak! We have put her living in the tomb!” (116) suggest that lady Madeline escaped the tomb alive and died along with her brother when she fell upon him. In my opinion there was family betrayal, which took on the illusion of paranormal events. Lady Madeline is able to make her way to her brother, almost attacking him, but falls on him and dies. As a result, Roderick, who has this connection with his sister because they are twins, realized he has buried his sister alive and dies of shock. The house gives the impression that it is reacting to the loss of the last of the Usher family, and it too begins to