edgar allan poe

7/18/2019 Edgar Allan Poe

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“The Fall of the House of Usher” (1839)Summary

An unnamed narrator approaches the house of Usher on a “dull, dark, and soundless da!” Th"s

house#the estate of h"s $ohood fr"end, %oder"ck Usher#"s &loom and mster"ous! Thenarrator o$ser'es that the house seems to ha'e a$sor$ed an e'"l and d"seased atmosphere from

the deca"n& trees and murk ponds around "t! He notes that althou&h the house "s deca"n& "n

places#"nd"'"dual stones are d"s"nte&rat"n&, for eample#the structure "tself "s fa"rl sol"d!

There "s onl a small crack from the roof to the &round "n the front of the $u"ld"n&! He has come

to the house $ecause h"s fr"end %oder"ck sent h"m a letter earnestl reuest"n& h"s compan!

%oder"ck *rote that he *as feel"n& phs"call and emot"onall "ll, so the narrator "s rush"n& to

h"s ass"stance! The narrator ment"ons that the Usher fam"l, thou&h an anc"ent clan, has ne'er

flour"shed! +nl one mem$er of the Usher fam"l has sur'"'ed from &enerat"on to &enerat"on,

there$ form"n& a d"rect l"ne of descent *"thout an outs"de $ranches! The Usher fam"l has

$ecome so "dent"f"ed *"th "ts estate that the peasantr confuses the "nha$"tants *"th the"r home!

The narrator f"nds the "ns"de of the house ust as spook as the outs"de! He makes h"s *a

throu&h the lon& passa&es to the room *here %oder"ck "s *a"t"n&! He notes that %oder"ck "s paler

and less ener&et"c than he once *as! %oder"ck tells the narrator that he suffers from ner'es and

fear and that h"s senses are he"&htened! The narrator also notes that %oder"ck seems afra"d of h"s

o*n house! %oder"ck-s s"ster, .adel"ne, has taken "ll *"th a mster"ous s"ckness#perhaps

cataleps, the loss of control of one-s l"m$s#that the doctors cannot re'erse! The narrator spends

se'eral das tr"n& to cheer up %oder"ck! He l"stens to %oder"ck pla the &u"tar and make up

*ords for h"s son&s, and he reads h"m stor"es, $ut he cannot l"ft %oder"ck-s sp"r"t! /oon, %oder"ck

pos"ts h"s theor that the house "tself "s unhealth, ust as the narrator supposes at the $e&"nn"n&

of the stor!

.adel"ne soon d"es, and %oder"ck dec"des to $ur her temporar"l "n the tom$s $elo* the house!

He *ants to keep her "n the house $ecause he fears that the doctors m"&ht d"& up her $od for

sc"ent"f"c eam"nat"on, s"nce her d"sease *as so stran&e to them! The narrator helps %oder"ck put

the $od "n the tom$, and he notes that .adel"ne has ros cheeks, as some do after death! Thenarrator also real"0es suddenl that %oder"ck and .adel"ne *ere t*"ns! +'er the net fe* das,

%oder"ck $ecomes e'en more uneas! +ne n"&ht, the narrator cannot sleep e"ther! %oder"ck

knocks on h"s door, apparentl hster"cal! He leads the narrator to the *"ndo*, from *h"ch the

see a $r"&htlook"n& &as surround"n& the house! The narrator tells %oder"ck that the &as "s a

natural phenomenon, not alto&ether uncommon!



The narrator dec"des to read to %oder"ck "n order to pass the n"&ht a*a! He reads “.ad Tr"st” $

/"r 2auncelot ann"n&, a med"e'al romance! As he reads, he hears no"ses that correspond to the

descr"pt"ons "n the stor! At f"rst, he "&nores these sounds as the 'a&ar"es of h"s "ma&"nat"on!

/oon, ho*e'er, the $ecome more d"st"nct and he can no lon&er "&nore them! He also not"ces

that %oder"ck has slumped o'er "n h"s cha"r and "s mutter"n& to h"mself! The narrator approaches

%oder"ck and l"stens to *hat he "s sa"n&! %oder"ck re'eals that he has $een hear"n& these sounds

for das, and $el"e'es that the ha'e $ur"ed .adel"ne al"'e and that she "s tr"n& to escape! He

ells that she "s stand"n& $eh"nd the door! The *"nd $lo*s open the door and conf"rms %oder"ck-s

fears4 .adel"ne stands "n *h"te ro$es $lood"ed from her stru&&le! /he attacks %oder"ck as the l"fe

dra"ns from her, and he d"es of fear! The narrator flees the house! As he escapes, the ent"re house

cracks alon& the $reak "n the frame and crum$les to the &round!

Analysis

“The Fall of the House of Usher” possesses the u"ntessent"al features of the 5oth"c tale4 a

haunted house, drear landscape, mster"ous s"ckness, and dou$led personal"t! For all "ts eas"l

"dent"f"a$le 5oth"c elements, ho*e'er, part of the terror of th"s stor "s "ts 'a&ueness! 6e cannot

sa for sure *here "n the *orld or eactl *hen the stor takes place! 7nstead of standard

narrat"'e markers of place and t"me, oe uses trad"t"onal 5oth"c elements such as "nclement

*eather and a $arren landscape! 6e are alone *"th the narrator "n th"s haunted space, and ne"ther

*e nor the narrator kno* *h! Althou&h he "s %oder"ck-s most "nt"mate $ohood fr"end, the

narrator apparentl does not kno* much a$out h"m#l"ke the $as"c fact that %oder"ck has a t*"n

s"ster! oe asks us to uest"on the reasons $oth for %oder"ck-s dec"s"on to contact the narrator "n

th"s t"me of need and the $"0arre tenac"t of narrator-s response! 6h"le oe pro'"des the

reco&n"0a$le $u"ld"n& $locks of the 5oth"c tale, he contrasts th"s standard form *"th a plot that "s

"nepl"ca$le, sudden, and full of unepected d"srupt"ons! The stor $e&"ns *"thout complete

eplanat"on of the narrator-s mot"'es for arr"'"n& at the house of Usher, and th"s am$"&u"t sets

the tone for a plot that cont"nuall $lurs the real and the fantast"c!

oe creates a sensat"on of claustropho$"a "n th"s stor! The narrator "s mster"ousl trapped $

the lure of %oder"ck-s attract"on, and he cannot escape unt"l the house of Usher collapsescompletel! haracters cannot mo'e and act freel "n the house $ecause of "ts structure, so "t

assumes a monstrous character of "ts o*n#the 5oth"c masterm"nd that controls the fate of "ts

"nha$"tants! oe, creates confus"on $et*een the l"'"n& th"n&s and "nan"mate o$ects $ dou$l"n&

the phs"cal house of Usher *"th the &enet"c fam"l l"ne of the Usher fam"l, *h"ch he refers to

as the house of Usher! oe emplos the *ord “house” metaphor"call, $ut he also descr"$es a real



house! ot onl does the narrator &et trapped "ns"de the mans"on, $ut *e learn also that th"s

conf"nement descr"$es the $"olo&"cal fate of the Usher fam"l! The fam"l has no endur"n&

$ranches, so all &enet"c transm"ss"on has occurred "ncestuousl *"th"n the doma"n of the house!

The peasantr confuses the mans"on *"th the fam"l $ecause the phs"cal structure has

effect"'el d"ctated the &enet"c patterns of the fam"l! The claustropho$"a of the mans"on affects

the relat"ons amon& characters! For eample, the narrator real"0es late "n the &ame that %oder"ck

and .adel"ne are t*"ns, and th"s real"0at"on occurs as the t*o men prepare to entom$ .adel"ne!

The cramped and conf"ned sett"n& of the $ur"al tom$ metaphor"call spreads to the features of

the characters! :ecause the t*"ns are so s"m"lar, the cannot de'elop as free "nd"'"duals!

.adel"ne "s $ur"ed $efore she has actuall d"ed $ecause her s"m"lar"t to %oder"ck "s l"ke a coff"n

that holds her "dent"t! .adel"ne also suffers from pro$lems tp"cal for *omen "n n"neteenth

centur l"terature! /he "n'ests all of her "dent"t "n her $od, *hereas %oder"ck possesses the

po*ers of "ntellect! 7n sp"te of th"s d"sad'anta&e, .adel"ne possesses the po*er "n the stor,almost superhuman at t"mes, as *hen she $reaks out of her tom$! /he thus counteracts

%oder"ck-s *eak, ner'ous, and "mmo$"le d"spos"t"on! /ome scholars ha'e ar&ued that .adel"ne

does not e'en e"st, reduc"n& her to a shared f"&ment %oder"ck-s and the narrator-s "ma&"nat"ons!

:ut .adel"ne pro'es central to the smmetr"cal and claustropho$"c lo&"c of the tale! .adel"ne

st"fles %oder"ck $ pre'ent"n& h"m from see"n& h"mself as essent"all d"fferent from her! /he

completes th"s attack *hen she k"lls h"m at the end of the stor!

;ou$l"n& spreads throu&hout the stor! The tale h"&hl"&hts the 5oth"c feature of the

doppel&an&er, or character dou$le, and portras dou$l"n& "n "nan"mate structures and l"terarforms! The narrator, for eample, f"rst *"tnesses the mans"on as a reflect"on "n the tarn, or

shallo* pool, that a$uts the front of the house! The m"rror "ma&e "n the tarn dou$les the house,

$ut ups"de do*n#an "n'ersel smmetr"cal relat"onsh"p that also character"0es the relat"onsh"p

$et*een %oder"ck and .adel"ne!

The stor features numerous allus"ons to other *orks of l"terature, "nclud"n& the poems “The

Haunted alace” and “.ad Tr"st” $ /"r 2auncelot ann"n&! oe composed them h"mself and

then f"ct"t"ousl attr"$uted them to other sources! :oth poems parallel and thus pred"ct the plot

l"ne of “The Fall of the House of Usher!” “.ad Tr"st,” *h"ch "s a$out the forceful entrance of

<thelred "nto the d*ell"n& of a herm"t, m"rrors the s"multaneous escape of .adel"ne from her

tom$! “.ad Tr"st” spook"l crosses l"terar $orders, as thou&h %oder"ck-s o$sess"on *"th these

poems ushers the"r narrat"'es "nto h"s o*n doma"n and $r"n&s them to l"fe!



The cross"n& of $orders perta"ns '"tall to the 5oth"c horror of the tale! 6e kno* from oe-s

eper"ence "n the ma&a0"ne "ndustr that he *as o$sessed *"th codes and *ord &ames, and th"s

stor ampl"f"es h"s o$sess"'e "nterest "n nam"n&! “Usher” refers not onl to the mans"on and the

fam"l, $ut also to the act of cross"n& a threshold that $r"n&s the narrator "nto the per'erse *orld

of %oder"ck and .adel"ne! %oder"ck-s letter ushers the narrator "nto a *orld he does not kno*,

and the presence of th"s outs"der m"&ht $e the factor that destros the house! The narrator "s the

lone ecept"on to the Ushers- fear of outs"ders, a fear that accentuates the claustropho$"c nature

of the tale! : underm"n"n& th"s fear of the outs"de, the narrator un*"tt"n&l $r"n&s do*n the

*hole structure! A s"m"lar, thou&h stran&el plaful cross"n& of a $oundar transp"res $oth "n

“.ad Tr"st” and dur"n& the cl"mact"c $ur"al escape, *hen .adel"ne $reaks out from death to

meet her mad $rother "n a “trst,” or meet"n&, of death! oe thus $ur"es, "n the f"ct"t"ous &ra'"t

of a med"e'al romance, the puns that &arnered h"m popular"t "n Amer"ca-s ma&a0"nes!

“The :lack at” (18=3)

Summary

+n the e'e of h"s death, an unnamed narrator opens the stor $ procla"m"n& that he "s sane,

desp"te the *"ld narrat"'e he "s a$out to con'e! Th"s narrat"'e $e&"ns ears $efore, *hen the

narrator-s honora$le character "s *ell kno*n and cele$rated! He confesses a &reat lo'e for cats

and do&s, $oth of *h"ch, he sas, respect the f"del"t of fr"endsh"p, unl"ke fello* men! The

narrator marr"es at a oun& a&e and "ntroduces h"s *"fe to the domest"c os of o*n"n& pets!

Amon& $"rds, &oldf"sh, a do&, ra$$"ts, and a monke, the narrator s"n&les out a lar&e and

$eaut"ful $lack cat, named luto, as h"s fa'or"te!

Thou&h he lo'es luto, the narrator $e&"ns to suffer from '"olent mood s*"n&s, predom"nantl

due to the "nfluence of alcohol! He takes to m"streat"n& not onl the other an"mals $ut also h"s

*"fe! ;ur"n& th"s uncontrolla$le ra&e, he spares onl luto! After return"n& home u"te drunk one

n"&ht, the narrator lashes out at luto! :el"e'"n& the cat has a'o"ded h"m, he 'en&efull &rasps

the cat, onl to $e $"tten on the hand! 7n demon"c retal"at"on, the narrator pulls a penkn"fe from

h"s pocket and cuts out one of the cat-s ees! Thou&h the narrator *akes the net morn"n& *"th a part"al feel"n& of remorse, he "s una$le to re'erse the ne*l om"nous course of h"s $lack soul!

7&nored for certa"n no* $ the *ounded cat, the narrator soon seeks further retal"at"on! He "s

o'er*helmed $ a sp"r"t of <%><%/<<//, and sets out to comm"t *ron& for the sake of

*ron&! He han&s luto from the l"m$ of a tree one morn"n&!



+n the n"&ht of luto-s han&"n&, the narrator-s fam"l-s house $urns do*n, $ut he d"sm"sses the

poss"$"l"t of a connect"on $et*een the t*o e'ents! The da after the f"re, *h"ch destros all the

narrator-s possess"ons, he *"tnesses a &roup of ne"&h$ors collected around a *all that rema"ns

stand"n&! 7n'est"&at"n& the"r shouts of ama0ement, the narrator d"sco'ers the "mpress"on of a

&"&ant"c cat#*"th a rope around "ts neck#on the surface of the *all! The narrator attempts to

epla"n rat"onall the e"stence of the "mpress"on, $ut he f"nds h"mself haunted $ th"s phantasm

o'er the course of man months! +ne n"&ht, *h"le out drunk, the narrator d"sco'ers a $lack

o$ect po"sed upon a lar&e $arrel of alcohol! A ne* $lack cat has appeared, resem$l"n& luto $ut

*"th a splash of *h"te on h"s fur!

As *"th luto, the narrator eper"ences a &reat fondness for the mster"ous cat, *h"ch no one has

seen $efore! The cat $ecomes part of the household, much adored $ h"s *"fe as *ell! Ho*e'er,

follo*"n& the earl"er pattern, the narrator soon cannot res"st feel"n&s of hatred for the cat! These

murderous sent"ments "ntens"f *hen the narrator d"sco'ers that the cat-s splash of *h"te fur has

mster"ousl taken on the shape of the &allo*s, the structure on *h"ch a han&"n& takes place!

The *h"te fur re'eals the mode of eecut"on that cla"med luto, and the narrator pled&es

re'en&e!

+ne da, descend"n& "nto the cellar of the $u"ld"n& *"th h"s *"fe, the narrator almost tr"ps o'er

the cat! <nra&ed, the narrator &ra$s an ae to attack the cat, $ut h"s *"fe defends the an"mal!

Further an&ered $ th"s "nterference, the narrator turns h"s ra&e at h"s *"fe and $ur"es the ae "n

her head! Faced *"th the e'"dence of h"s cr"me, the narrator cons"ders man opt"ons for the $od-s d"sposal, "nclud"n& d"smem$erment and $ur"al! The narrator e'entuall dec"des to take

ad'anta&e of the damp *alls "n the $asement and entom$ the $od $eh"nd the"r plaster! 6"thout

an d"ff"cult, the narrator creates a tom$ "n the plaster *all, there$ h"d"n& the $od and all

traces of h"s murder! 6hen he f"nall turns to the cat, "t "s m"ss"n&, and he concludes that "t has

$een fr"&htened a*a $ h"s an&er!

+n the fourth da after the murder, the pol"ce arr"'e unepectedl at the narrator-s apartment!

ool and collected, the narrator leads them throu&h the prem"ses, e'en "nto the $asement!

Thou&h fac"n& the scene of the cr"me, the pol"ce do not demonstrate an cur"os"t and prepare to

lea'e the res"dence! The narrator, ho*e'er, keeps tr"n& to alla the"r susp"c"on! omment"n&

upon the sol"d craftsmansh"p of the house, he taps on the *all#$eh"nd *h"ch "s h"s *"fe-s $od

#*"th a cane! 7n response to the tapp"n&, a lon&, loud cr emanates from $eh"nd the *all! The

pol"ce storm the *all and d"smantle "t, d"sco'er"n& the h"dden corpse! Upon "ts head s"ts the

m"ss"n& cat!



Analysis

.uch l"ke “The TellTale Heart,” “The :lack at” follo*s the narrator-s descent "nto madness

after he procla"ms h"s san"t "n the tale-s open"n& para&raph! <'en the narrator ackno*led&es the

“*"ld” nature of the tale, attempt"n& there$ to separate h"s mental cond"t"on from the e'ents of the plot! The nature of the narrator-s madness d"ffers from that of the narrator of “The TellTale

Heart!” “The :lack at” does not concern "tself onl *"th the selfconta"ned nature of the

narrator-s m"nd! %ather, the narrator confesses an alcohol"sm that "nterferes *"th h"s &rasp on

real"t and produces mood s*"n&s! Alcohol "s, l"ke the cat, an eternal a&ent that "ntrudes on the

dnam"cs of the plot! The "ntroduct"on of alcohol as a plot de'"ce "s also s"&n"f"cant $ecause

<d&ar Allan oe *as an reputedl uncontrolla$le drunk throu&hout h"s l"fet"me! For man ears,

h"s $"o&raphers asserted that he d"ed of alcohol po"son"n& "n a &utter "n :alt"more! .ore recent

$"o&raph"es "ns"st that the eact cause of oe-s death cannot $e determ"ned! %e&ardless, "t "s

certa"n that oe suffered from the deleter"ous effects of alcohol consumpt"on throu&hout h"s l"fe!

The "nfluent"al l"terar cr"t"c T0'etan Todoro' "ntroduced a concept of the “fantast"c” "n the

earl 19?@s to d"scuss l"terature of horror, and the "dea can $e appl"ed usefull to “The :lack

at!” The fantast"c, he asserts, eplores the "ndef"n"te $oundar $et*een the real and the

supernatural! The fantast"c "s a l"terar cate&or that conta"ns elements of $oth the rat"onal and

the "rrat"onal! +ne of the fantast"c elements "n “The :lack at” "s the e"stence of the second cat

#*"th the chan&"n& shape of "ts *h"te fur and "ts appearance on the corpse $eh"nd the *all!

These plot t*"sts challen&e real"t, $ut the do not completel su$st"tute a supernatural

eplanat"on for a lo&"cal one! 7t "s poss"$le that the plot t*"sts der"'e onl from the "nsan"t of

the narrator! As a result, the plot t*"sts, l"ke the fantast"c, ho'er $et*een the real and the

supernatural! The resolut"on of the stor "s $oth rat"onall poss"$le and tremendousl unl"kel

the cat could "nha$"t the $asement *alls, $ut "t "s d"ff"cult to $el"e'e that "t *ould rema"n s"lentl

"n the *all for a lon& t"me or &o unnot"ced $ the o'erl met"culous narrator!

edgar allan poe

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