Gothic Romanticism: Hawthorne, Poe and Baudelaire
There are many interpretations of “The Fall of the House of Usher”. One interpretation suggests that Usher’s nervousness and weakness are the results of Madeline Usher’s being a vampire. Using details from the story, write an analysis of the story that supports this interpretation.
In the story The Fall of the House of Usher Madeline Usher is a vampire but you do not find this out until the very ending of the story right before the collapse of the house of the Ushers. From the very first time the narrator sees Usher he is full of fear. What he fears- maybe death, fear itself, or is it the fact that his one and only sister is a vampire- only he knows but whatever it is it is scaring him to the verge of death. One of the possible things that can be putting him on the 'edge' like this is the fact that he knows his sister is a vampire.Although it is hinted throughout the story by ushers nervousness and that even the physicians couldn't tell what was wrong with her. They, trained and with a degree, couldn't recognize her 'disease'. Usher was scared for her and of her because he knew something was wrong with her but yet she walked around like she was perfectly fine. When Usher is being read to, he confesses. "We have put her living in the tomb!...I heard them...many days ago...yet I dared not- I dared not to speak!" So he knew that she was alive and it caused him to be even more nervous so that he was almost paralyzed with fear.
Gothic writers express themselves by criticizing human nature. They criticize the fact that we hide things deep down inside, and if you can pry it out of the deep cabinet they have hidden this secret in, then you will realize that the monster you just released is far greater than you ever imagined. They communicate this with the reader by hinting at this secret until the story hits its peak of action, when the secret is revealed. For instance in The Fall Of The House Of Usher, the secret that is hidden is the fact that Madeline is a vampire, but Poe throws in certain perfectly planned out parts in the short story to reveal that she is a vampire. Then at the end, right before the fall of the house of usher, the secret is revealed and then everyone knows for sure what Madeline is. So when reading a Gothic Romanticism novel or short story, one must read very carefully for certain symbols, signs and things that hint to the 'secret'. The writers of Gothic Romanticism have very similar feelings towards human nature in the fact that they use gloomy and sullen words to symbolize human nature that how it can be a very sad, dour object. For Instance the Fall of the house of usher uses a storm in the end to destroy the house, and this can symbolize how something can tear us down.
In the story The Fall of the House of Usher Madeline Usher is a vampire but you do not find this out until the very ending of the story right before the collapse of the house of the Ushers. From the very first time the narrator sees Usher he is full of fear. What he fears- maybe death, fear itself, or is it the fact that his one and only sister is a vampire- only he knows but whatever it is it is scaring him to the verge of death. One of the possible things that can be putting him on the 'edge' like this is the fact that he knows his sister is a vampire.Although it is hinted throughout the story by ushers nervousness and that even the physicians couldn't tell what was wrong with her. They, trained and with a degree, couldn't recognize her 'disease'. Usher was scared for her and of her because he knew something was wrong with her but yet she walked around like she was perfectly fine. When Usher is being read to, he confesses. "We have put her living in the tomb!...I heard them...many days ago...yet I dared not- I dared not to speak!" So he knew that she was alive and it caused him to be even more nervous so that he was almost paralyzed with fear.
Gothic writers express themselves by criticizing human nature. They criticize the fact that we hide things deep down inside, and if you can pry it out of the deep cabinet they have hidden this secret in, then you will realize that the monster you just released is far greater than you ever imagined. They communicate this with the reader by hinting at this secret until the story hits its peak of action, when the secret is revealed. For instance in The Fall Of The House Of Usher, the secret that is hidden is the fact that Madeline is a vampire, but Poe throws in certain perfectly planned out parts in the short story to reveal that she is a vampire. Then at the end, right before the fall of the house of usher, the secret is revealed and then everyone knows for sure what Madeline is. So when reading a Gothic Romanticism novel or short story, one must read very carefully for certain symbols, signs and things that hint to the 'secret'. The writers of Gothic Romanticism have very similar feelings towards human nature in the fact that they use gloomy and sullen words to symbolize human nature that how it can be a very sad, dour object. For Instance the Fall of the house of usher uses a storm in the end to destroy the house, and this can symbolize how something can tear us down.
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