The Use Of Tone In The Fall Of The House Of Usher

The Incredible Use of Tone in “The Fall of the House of Usher” “Edgar Allan Poe, of course, was the master of the gothic form in the United States. He explored human psychology from the inside, using first-person narrators who were sometimes criminal or even insane, His plots involved extreme situations-- not just murder, but live burials, physical and mental torture, and retribution from beyond the grave,” (p.312). Edgar Allan Poe is a very significant and influential write in not only today’s literature, but also the literature of the past. In the years 1800-1850, Romanticism was the dominant topic of literature. One of the many branches of Romanticism is the American Gothics, this is the form that Edgar Allan Poe published most of his …show more content…
Poe states, “An air of stern, deep, and irredeemable gloom hung over and pervaded all,” (pg. 416 line 125). This quote is saying that there is some sort of dark essence or sensation being felt by everyone in the room. No one is able to avoid the darkness and fear, it just hangs over the head and onto the shoulders like a very miserable, gloomy day. This extract from the short story gives off a feeling of unpleasantness and vexatiousness that hits everyone in the room. This represents a melancholy tone because the terms Poe uses such as, “stern, deep, and irredeemable,” all give off a feeling of darkness, fright, and fear. Poe mentions that he felt as if he “breathed an atmosphere of sorrow,” (pg. 416 line 124). Poe makes sure to describe to his readers that the ambiance surrounding him is full of regret, despair, and sadness. Seeing as breathing is vital to life, it is evident that Poe is trying to share with his readers that he in no way can avoid the awful feeling inside of the room. If he is breathing that atmosphere in like he says, then one can only begin to imagine what he is feeling inside! After reading this take from Poe’s essay, it is clear that he is trying to make his readers perceive how negative the energy is in the House of Usher. Poe demonstrates that the tone of the short story is melancholy when analyzing not only how he describes the setting …show more content…
In the short story, Poe says that Roderick “suffered much from a morbid acuteness of the senses,” (pg. 417 line 172). This quote communicates to the readers that Roderick is very ill and it has come to disturb the narrator. Roderick’s sensations are very delicate and fragile and are not reacting as they would normally. He seems to not be acting like himself and this also disturbs the narrator. After all, he only wishes to help his friend feel better. This supports Poe’s melancholy tone while writing, because he uses words such as “morbid” and “suffered,” which show how much pain Roderick is in and genuinely prove that he is trying to give off a feeling of gloom and sadness. Poe also mentions when describing Roderick, “the odor of all flowers were oppressive, (pg. 417 line 174) to him. While writing this quote, it is evident again that Poe wants the readers to truly understand exactly how unwell Roderick appears to be. He informs the audience that the smell of flowers were revolting to the nose of Roderick. Normally people tend to use the word “scent”when describing the aroma of flowers because it is olfactorily pleasing to them. However, when Poe uses words such as “odor,” it is completely straightforward that his tone while writing is melancholy. Recurrently, Poe’s word choice in this sentence is quite exemplary and allows readers to acquire his