Poe uses the gothic-fiction device of dramatizing death, decay, and madness to show the corruption of nature and humanity. The descriptions in the story focus on the ominous and frightening. The house is decaying; its stones crumble, and a crack threatens the structural integrity of the mansion. Tattered and old furniture fills the interior of the house. While the windows are tall and high, only red light filters through and there are dark corners and shadowy places. There are many books and instruments, but they do not enliven the dreary house. The descriptions of the mansion and the grounds portray everything in a state of dilapidation, on the verge of collapse and death. The house acts as an example of how time erodes goodness and beauty.

The gothic element of madness appears most vividly in Roderick, but it also infects the narrator. Roderick wrestles with superstitions surrounding the house, and the narrator himself begins to feel an irrational terror creeping upon him. Roderick exhibits external signs of madness, while the narrator describes the experience of madness from an internal perspective.

The supernatural forces in the story are unilaterally destructive. In keeping with the gothic style, Poe depicts the supernatural as evil and relates it to insanity. Uncanny events—such as Madeline’s reanimation—push Roderick and the narrator further into madness, forcing them to reconsider their sanity. In addition, the possible sentience of the house only drives its residents insane with fear, showing how the supernatural decays what it touches.