The Fal of the House of Usher

"The Fall of the House of Usher" is a tale written by Edgar Allan Poe, and there have been many different interpretations of the theme for this short story. The one that stands out the most prominently is the effect of isolation. In the absence of contact with the real world, the human imagination can produce a distorted perception of reality. This happens to a man named Usher, who is shut off from the world around him and eventually starts to believe that his house is alive. At one time he even starts to sing a song about how the house is taking over his life.

The Usher family has never expanded. Only one member of the Usher family has survived from each generation to the next and, therefore, there is a direct line of descent without any other branches. The Usher family has become so identified with its estate that passersby often confuse the inhabitants with their home.

The state of isolation occurs when someone is completely separated from other human beings, whether by choice or punishment. The effects of isolation can have very serious consequences on an individual's mind. It can drive a stable, normal person insane. Through isolation, one can become very lonely and might even start seeing things that aren't there. One may also start talking to himself. These are some of the effects of Usher's isolation: He is paler and less energetic than he once was, and he tells his friend that he suffers from nerves and fear and that his senses are heightened. His friend perceives that Roderick is afraid of his own house. Roderick, however, has his own interpretation of this theory. He thinks that the house itself is unhealthy. When Usher isolates himself in his house, he eventually starts to believe that his house is alive.

Before we meet Usher, the narrator tells us of how he received an urgent message from Usher revealing that he had a mental illness and expressed a desire to see him. Upon arriving at the house, the narrator describes the house has having "vacant eyelike windows" (Poe ). He thought that if he looked at the house through the tarn, it may be reflected differently, but it wasn't.

One night, the narrator cannot sleep. Usher knocks on his door, apparently hysterical. He leads the narrator to the window where they see a bright-looking gas surrounding the house. The narrator convinces Usher that the gas is a natural phenomenon, and the narrator decides to read to Usher in order to pass the night away. He reads "Mad Trist" by Sir Launcelot Canning; as he reads, he hears noises that correspond to the descriptions in the story. At first, he ignores these sounds as he believes that they are just a figment of his imagination. However, the noises become more distinct, and he can no longer ignore them. He notices that Usher is slumped over in his chair and is muttering to himself. The narrator approaches Usher and listens to what he is saying. Usher reveals that he has been hearing these sounds for days, and believes that they have buried Madeline, Usher's sister,