The Fall of the House of Usher: Madness in Decay

The Fall of the House of Usher is considered one of Poe’s masterpieces, but how does it hold up for Mumu?

TITLE: “The Fall of the House of Usher” (pgs 64-89 from Great Tales And Poems Of Edgar Allan Poe)

AUTHOR: Edgar Allan Poe

GENRE: Gothic Dark Fiction

PAGES: 25

FORMAT: Paperback Book

PRICE: US $5.95 / CAN $6.99

            Here we go, back to Edgar Allan Poe. He knows how to write psychological horror very well. Today, we will be focusing on “The Fall of the House of Usher”, where the main character visited his friend, Roderick Usher, to see if he could help relieve the malady that has befallen him. However, when the main character arrived, many things seem off.

He described the foundation of the house as strong, yet it is littered with cracks, mushrooms growing and spider webs. It shows a rapid decay within the house and this melancholy has befallen not only his friend, Roderick, but his friend’s twin sister, Lady Madeline. It’s as if this house exists on the brink of death, and Roderick has grown paranoid and mentally unstable by living there.

Roderick’s senses, as it is explained, have gone dull and morbid. Barely edible food, light bothering his sight, the sounds of a foreboding music played by string instruments that doesn’t even terrify him… the narrator pointed it out as it made him uncomfortable. Roderick stated that he believed him to be the last sole heir of the Usher name, as he is sure his sister will pass away soon. 

Lady Madeline is no better; she has an illness that has struck physicians as incurable and unexplainable. She was just wasting away. In fact, the narrator caught a glimpse of her once, and then she passed during the night, according to Roderick.

I have to be honest, I blame the house for some of this. Having fungi growing on the foundation, there is bound to be mold and other health risks within the home. It probably also has caused some mental health disorders to arise, or perhaps the family itself just suffers from mental disorders. I’m pretty sure the house made it all the worse; one cannot blossom in a house full of decay.

The narrator pointed out, even though he knew Roderick since boyhood, his mental and physical state has seemed to decay as well. The narrator’s cherry disposition does not help negate the gloom and doom of the estate. In fact, Roderick does state that the family has an evil tone, and is insisting he will perish in that house. I doubt that anyone could sway him otherwise at that point.

If one keeps thinking about doom and gloom, it eventually happens the way they predict, a self-fulfilling prophecy. It comes as no surprise that, at the end of hte tale, Roderick stated that he could hear his sister on the steps and she appeared then, like an unspoken spell, covered in blood from fighting out of the coffin; she fell upon Roderick, him dying at that point and the house began to crumble, causing the narrator to run out before it collapsed on top of him.

Now, I must say, there is madness when all one can see is decay. It affected Roderick, it affected Lady Madeline; doom and gloom thoughts all of the time can drive anyone crazy. Like I’ve said before; a self-fulfilling prophecy. If one cannot look at the good and the bad, and can only see the bad of the situation (paranoia, or death, as examples), it is bound to come true.

Mumu the Tricked loves to read and write. It’s easier to sit still and work with their eyes and hands than move around some days. They are hoping to become a successful author and book reviews are quite fun, too. Thank you!

PLEASE NOTE: The views and opinions of the staff of Memento Mori Ink do not necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or Crystal Lake Publishing, nor do the views or opinions of Crystal Lake necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or its staff. Thank you for understanding.