Metaphorical Essays on the Fall of the House of Usher by Poe: Metaphorical Images in Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher" "The Fall of the House of Usher", one of Edgar Allen Poe's most famous short stories, has captured the imagination of adult readers and little ones. With great skill, Poe managed to metaphorically mirror objects other than nature. In this short story you can find examples of how Poe managed to achieve this goal. Among one of the earliest examples one can find is “…that ancient metaphor of the body…(Montgomery 373).” The "ancient metaphor" that can be found is that of Roderick Usher and later the House of Usher. With a careful reading of the story, one can see how these two different objects mirror each other. To begin an analysis of the different examples present in the story, it is necessary to acquire some brief basic information. Roderick Usher was excessively reserved during his childhood and even afterward. Roderick was the product of inbreeding that had caused him to lead a rather unhealthy life. According to Magill in the book Masterpieces of World Literature, since the Usher family had left only one direct line of descendants, the family and the house had become one, the House of Usher (291). One can argue that this is true, but in my opinion the relationship between the house and Roderick can be found in their descriptions. The story's narrator describes Roderick as more zombie-like than human. This is due to the cadaverous complexion of Roderick's face: large, bright eyes, thin, very pale lips, the nose of "a delicate Jewish model", small, patterned chin, broad forehead, and soft, net-like hair ( Magill 364). Throughout the story, the narrator describes Roderick's large eyes and hair with a "wild and gossamer texture" (Thompson 96). Roderick's unhealthy lifestyle caused side effects to occur. They include things like looking old for his age and sometimes shaking for no apparent reason (Bloom 60). The House of Usher is also similar to Roderick in description. The front of the house, as the narrator describes, resembles a giant face or skull with its eye-shaped windows and hair-like mushrooms hanging over the front of the house (Magill 364). The stonework covering the Usher House is in ruins. This stone reminds the narrator of "...old woodwork that has rotted for long years in some neglected vault." (Fiore59). The House of Usher seems so fragile that it seems as if its instability will cause it to collapse(59).

Topic > Metaphorical Essays on the Fall of the House of Usher by Poe: Metaphorical Images in Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher" "The Fall of the House of Usher", one of Edgar Allen Poe's most famous short stories, has captured the imagination of adult readers and little ones. With great skill, Poe managed to metaphorically mirror objects other than nature. In this short story you can find examples of how Poe managed to achieve this goal. Among one of the earliest examples one can find is “…that ancient metaphor of the body…(Montgomery 373).” The "ancient metaphor" that can be found is that of Roderick Usher and later the House of Usher. With a careful reading of the story, one can see how these two different objects mirror each other. To begin an analysis of the different examples present in the story, it is necessary to acquire some brief basic information. Roderick Usher was excessively reserved during his childhood and even afterward. Roderick was the product of inbreeding that had caused him to lead a rather unhealthy life. According to Magill in the book Masterpieces of World Literature, since the Usher family had left only one direct line of descendants, the family and the house had become one, the House of Usher (291). One can argue that this is true, but in my opinion the relationship between the house and Roderick can be found in their descriptions. The story's narrator describes Roderick as more zombie-like than human. This is due to the cadaverous complexion of Roderick's face: large, bright eyes, thin, very pale lips, the nose of "a delicate Jewish model", small, patterned chin, broad forehead, and soft, net-like hair ( Magill 364). Throughout the story, the narrator describes Roderick's large eyes and hair with a "wild and gossamer texture" (Thompson 96). Roderick's unhealthy lifestyle caused side effects to occur. They include things like looking old for his age and sometimes shaking for no apparent reason (Bloom 60). The House of Usher is also similar to Roderick in description. The front of the house, as the narrator describes, resembles a giant face or skull with its eye-shaped windows and hair-like mushrooms hanging over the front of the house (Magill 364). The stonework covering the Usher House is in ruins. This stone reminds the narrator of "...old woodwork that has rotted for long years in some neglected vault." (Fiore59). The House of Usher seems so fragile that it seems as if its instability will cause it to collapse(59).