Fall of the House of Usher
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Edgar Allen Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher" is a dark and haunting tale of the House of Usher, the family and the mansion they live in. Through use of colors, detailed descriptions, and symbolism Poe tells this elegantly, eerie tale. Easily captivating the reader from the beginning of the tale, Poe's description of the house installs a sense of foreboding in the reader that he brings to a climax in a symbolic ending.
The main character receives a letter from a boyhood friend asking if he will come visit. He is sick and hopes a visit from his friend will cheer him up. When the main character first comes upon the house he is overcome with many dark emotions. "I felt that I breathed an atmosphere of sorrow. An air of stern, deep, and irredeemable gloom hung over and pervaded all" (Poe). Poe's dramatic and detailed description of the house is used to symbolize the family living within. "Perhaps the eye of a scrutinizing observer might have discovered a barely perceptible fissure, which, extending from the roof of the building in front, made its way down the wall in a zigzag direction" (Poe) symbolizes the fissure in Roderick Usher's sanity...