The Usher House Analysis

The Usher house is described in great lengths by Poe; he depicts it as gloomy, depressing, eerie, and gothic. As the narrator approaches the mansion he automatically feels the negative energy radiating into him as he states, “with the first glimpse of the building, a sense of insufferable gloom pervaded my spirit” (Poe) He goes on to describe the walls as “bleak” and the windows as “vacant and eye like” as he moves closer and closer to the spooky mansion. The house reminds the narrator of , “the specious totality of old wood-work which has rotted for long years in some neglected vault, with no disturbance from the breath of the external air” (Poe) and this vivid image gives the reader the idea that this house is much like a mind that has been eroding for decades with no disturbance or interference from the outside world. The house is falling apart on the inside without showing barely any defects on the exterior. The narrator notices a zigzag line beginning at the roof and crawling down the side of the house. This division of the house can be related to the break in someone's fragile mind. …show more content…
Their relationship shows how Madeline is the conscious because she controlled the subconscious, in this case, Roderick. When she became diseased, so did he, and he never left the house again. In the text, Roderick announces that when Madeline dies, he would be the, “last of the ancient race of Ushers” (Poe). Even though it is a negative thing to have the Usher lineage come to an end, there may be some joy in it for Roderick. He believes that with Madeline dead, he would gain control of his mind. When Roderick begins to notice his mental illness, he thinks that Madeline has truly passed away so he tries to lock her up literally inside the house, and figuratively inside his