What is the single effect of "The Fall of the House of Usher"?
There can be many different answers for this question. I would say that one cannot pinpoint one single effect, to be quite honest. I would say that one primary effect would be shock/terror. The reader is shocked and perhaps terrorized by the ending of the story when Madeline emerges from the tomb and falls onto Roderick, who dies immediately. This is an unexpected ending that is quite shocking. Other effects might include making the reader think about what isolation can do to people. Madeline and Roderick were isolated from society. This affected them emotionally and intellectually. Long-term isolation can have devastating effects.
Interesting question. In Poe's essay "A Theory of the Short Story" he says that "a certain unique or single effect {should] be wrought out." But later in the essay Poe also says that the aim or purpose of the story...
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should be truth. He writes "Truth is often, and in very great degree, the aim of the tale. . . "
It is too easy to say that Poe's main interest in writing this story was to create terror. Terror is certainly a main component of the story and certainly the details. The crack in the house, the "cracked" state of Roderick's mind, to the horrible sounds coming from downstairs, the final appearance and death of both Madeline and Roderick and finally the disintegration of the house all contribute to that single effect.
However, the interpretation of the story is not complete without trying to discover what truth Poe was trying to uncover. If we look at the verse that Poe begins the story with, we learn it is about a lute which needs to be touched in order to work properly. If we consider that Roderick is a type of "lute" or artist who has lost all touch with reality, especially since his twin sister became ill, then Poe is really discussing the important of human love and contact on artists. Not even the narrator's presence can make up for Madeline's absence and he therefore, loses touch with reality. So much so that he buries her alive.
So the truth Poe is trying to communicate is that artists need human love and contact in their lives in order to stay creative.
What feelings does "The Fall of the House of Usher" evoke?
Edgar Allen Poe's short story "The Fall of the House of Usher" evokes many feelings, most of which can be grouped under the general category of "terror" or "horror." In the story, Poe focuses on a withering family line (which, he very subtly implies, has relied on incest for continuation), and the ensuing tale is at times creepy, and at other times terrifying. Poe very carefully builds this tone by describing Roderick's theory that the Usher estate is more or less "alive," by noting the spectral form of Madeline and her strange sickness, and by illustrating the generally gloomy weather and atmosphere hanging over the setting. All of these details set the reader on edge, as they suggest something truly ominous is on the horizon. Indeed, by the time the climax occurs (it takes place at the height of a terrible storm, and involves Madeline being buried alive), Poe has skillfully built up feelings of lurking fear and apprehension in the reader. Thus, when Roderick Usher finally meets his end and the whole house crumbles, we're left with an explosive feeling of pure fright.
What is the psychological aspect of "The Fall of the House of Usher"?
I think one of the psychological aspects that is worthy of discussion is the character, nature and motivation of Roderick Usher. It is never precisely clear whether he has deliberately interned the body of his sister knowing that she is still alive or if it was a genuine mistake. However, a big issue is whether he and his sister are actually cursed or if his 'illness' is a result of his own choice.
The evil in the story is a psychological phenomenon, and Poe creates this atmosphere of evil throughout the story. In his description of the house, the narrator calls it a "mansion of gloom". Poe also depicts evil in the characters of Roderick and Madeline. Roderick's "ghastly pallor" and Madeline's description as ghostly, floating through the rooms, makes our skin crawl. As most of us would do, the narrator tries to find reasons for what is happening, but he's unable to sustain any logical conclusions for what's happening to Roderick, Madeline, and the house. As the story progresses, the supernatural elements really kick in, and I think forces of the supernatural scare many of us because things that shouldn't happen do happen, and we have no control over them. We fear what we can't explain or don't understand, so the reader is as psychologically affected as the narrator by what happens. This is what a good scary story should do, and Poe was one of the best writers to be able to do it.
The most interesting aspect of this story, for me, is the character of Roderick. He is obviously mentally ill, so I would love to have the story told from his perspective to see into his mind a bit more. Because the narrator is his friend who comes to visit, we don't see much into the mind of Roderick. Also interesting to me is the house itself. It is a horribly oppressive house with darkness and dreariness everywhere! It is no wonder the two Ushers are depressed and/or mentally ill. Then environment isn't conducive to happiness and joy!