The-Single-Effect-in-The-Fall-of-the-House-of-Ushe

Mid-termpaperNaniP11073311TheSingleEffectinTheFalloftheHouseofUsherP1107331NaniLuMid-termpaperNaniP11073312EdgarAllanPoewasanAmericanauthor,poetandeditor.Besideshiswell-knowntalesofmysteryandthemacabre,Poewasalsoanimportantcontributortothehistoryofliterarycriticism.Singleeffect(orunityofeffect)isoneofthekeyaspectsofPoe’scriticaltheories.Forhim,itisalsoayardstickformeasuringwhetheraworkisreallysuccessful.In“TheReviewsofHawthorne’sTwice-ToldTales”,Poecommentedthatawisewritershouldput“acertainuniqueorsingleeffect”atfirst,then“combinessucheventasmaybestaidhiminestablishingthispreconceivedeffect.”Inotherwords,itistheeffectthatdeterminestone,theme,charactersandplots.Thistheorywasalsoreflectedinhiswork,TheFalloftheHouseofUsher,inmanyways,likesetting,charactersandsymbols.SettingThesettingofthisstoryiswell-organized.Inordertocreateadismalandgloomyatmosphere,thestorystartedin“adull,darkandsoundlessday”inautumn.Thenarratorwasonthewaytoatumbledownandantiquatedmansionandvisitedhisboyhoodfriend,RoderickUsher,apoorguywhosufferedfromseriousmentalillness.Thesedescriptionsneverfailedtofascinatethereaders.Specifically,Poedescribedthemansionasaplacewith“bleakwalls,vacanteye-likewindows”plus“afewranksedges”and“afewwhitetrunksofdecayedtrees”.Thiskindofopeningmade,indubitably,aterrifyingfeelingtothereaders.Afterthenarratorenteredthemansion,hefeltthatwhathebreatheisanatmosphereofsorrowandtheroomwaspermeatedwith“anairofstern,deepandirredeemablegloom”.BesidesthesefellingMid-termpaperNaniP11073313descriptions,Poealsoshowedus“thecarvingsoftheceilings,thesombertapestriesofthewalls,theebonblacknessofthefloor,”etc.Poeprovidedascaryatmospheresothathecouldmakeeverythingundertheterrifyingveil.CharactersBesidesdepressingenvironmentaldescription,threecharactersalsoconveyedsuspenseandfear.RoderickUsher,theownerofthemansion,wasasensitiveman.Thedestinyofhissisterandhisownlonelyfutureplungedhimintothedarkdepthsofdespair.So,hisactionsreflectedhismorbidthinking:hewasactingstrangely.Whathesangisviolent,whathedrawnisabstractandwhathereadisallaboutdeath,revivalandhell.ContrarytoRoderick,thenarratorisasoberman.HefoundRoderickhavesomementalproblemsandhetriedhisutmost“toalleviatethemelancholy”ofhisfriend.Infact,heusedtoattempttohidehisscaredfeeling.Whenheenteredthehouse,heknewthatallthebadfeelingsarebasedonterror.AfterhehelpedRodericktoburyhissister,hewasterrifiedbyhisfriend’sconditionsandhestartedtofeeltheinfluencefromhisfriend.Hedescribedthiskindofinfluenceas“wild,fantasticyetimpressive”,itevencreptuponhimby“slowyetcertaindegrees”.Inthatdisastrousnight,hetriedtoovercomehisnervousness,buthiseffortswerefruitless.Hefeltthatheshouldnotsleepduringthenight.Intheend,hewasshockedandfledaghastwhenMadelineappeared.MadelinewasRoderick’stwinsister.Herpowerandpresencewerefelteverywherethroughoutthestory,evenshewasnotpresentedopenly.FromRoderickMid-termpaperNaniP11073314andthenarrator’sdescription,wecouldguessthatMadelinesufferedfromanincurablediseaseandshewasgoingtodie.Thenherbodywasplacedinasmall,dampanddarkvault.Finally,shestruggledtoescapefromthecoffin.Itistobeobservedthatthefollowingdescriptionpushedthefeelingoffeartoitsextreme.Madelinecoveredwithbloodalloverand“theevidenceofsomebitterstruggleuponeveryportionofheremaciatedframe”.Above-mentionedtwocharactersallhadmentalproblemsinsomedegrees.However,theirattitudestothemselvesweredifferent.Madelineseemedtoadmitthatsheisapatient.Roderickknewhismentalconditionandhetriedtodosomethingtoovercomeit(eg.Visitinghisfriend).Asforthenarrator,hewasscaredbywhatheexperiencedbutherefusedtoacknowledgehisfear.Here,Poetriedtoachievetheterrorofthesoulinsteadoftraditionalgothicterror.Byreadingthesedescriptionsofpsychologicallyunsoundcharacters,thereaderscouldfeelhorrifiedfromthem.Becausecharactersthemselvesweregruesomeandmysterious,withoutsetting.Thentheythrilledbythewholestory,whichisbeyondanydoubt.SymbolsLikeanyotherfamousworksofPoe,somespecialandrepresentativesymbolswerecreatedtostrengthenthisstory’ssenseofterror.Firstofall,whenthenarratorcametothehouse,henoticedthedepressing“vacanteye-likewindows.”Infact,thiswindowwasasymboltoreflectthementalconditionofitsowner.Specifically,inthebeginning,thenarratordescribedRoderick’seyesas“largeandluminous”.However,Mid-termpaperNaniP11073315aftertheyburiedMadeline,hefoundRoderickwasverytenseandsometimes“gazeduponvacancyforlonghours.”Roderick’sactionexactlycorrespondedtothepreviousdescriptionofthewindows.So,thiswindowwasoneofthesymbolsanditcouldaugurthetragicconsequenceofRoderick.Secondly,anotherimpressingsymbolofthisstoryisRoderick’swell-knownpoem,TheHauntedPalace.Inthispoem,afairandstatelypalacewasoccupiedbyghostsandlute’swell-turnedlawwasreplacedbydiscordantmelody.Superficially,itseemedanordinarydescriptionofstatesbeforeandafterthepalacewasoccupied.Infact,thispoemhadprofoundimplications.PoeutilizedsymbolismtodepictRoderick’ssanityandinsanity.Itcouldalsobeprovedbynarrator’ssaying“thetotteringofhisloftyreasonuponherthrone”,whichmeansRoderickhaslosthismarbles.Meanwhile,thestyleofthepoemfittedthe