Roderick paints,
plays music, and writes poetry and prose
. At the time of the narrator's visit, he observes Roderick's paintings, and notices that they are so abstract in form that they cannot be described.
What does the painting mean in the fall of the House of Usher?
The ‘sublime' was meant to evoke
the thrilling grandeur of God
. Roderick's paintings, though they evoke “awe,” push beyond the sublime (the awe is “intolerable”) and into the Gothic, a nightmare landscape of pure terror that reflects Roderick's fevered psyche.
What does Usher's painting suggest to you?
What does Usher's painting suggest to you? The flood of light in the closed, apparently underground room suggests
Roderick's desire to overcome the oppressive atmosphere of the mansion
. It might also suggest his desire to banish something sinister about either the house, or Madeline, or both.
What does Roderick Usher symbolize?
Most probably interpret it as
incest
. He is the last of the Usher line, which means the secret dies with him.
Why does Roderick confine himself upon the guitar?
Usher's singular focus on stringed instruments, specifically the guitar, allows him to be better than most people. Paragraph 19 says, “It was, perhaps,
the narrow limits
to which he thus confined himself upon the guitar, which gave birth, in great measure, to the fantastic character of his performances.”
What is Usher afraid of and why?
What does Usher say is his biggest fear? …
he is afraid he is going to lose his sick sister
. This could mean he would go insane.
Does Roderick Usher paint?
Roderick Usher follows in the footsteps of generations of Ushers and their artistic temperament.
Roderick paints, plays music, and writes poetry and prose
. At the time of the narrator's visit, he observes Roderick's paintings, and notices that they are so abstract in form that they cannot be described.
Why does the narrator believe Roderick Usher is so talented at the guitar?
Why does the narrator believe Roderick Usher is so talented at the guitar?
Usher's illness makes him superior at practicing
. His financial support of musical science has afforded him countless lessons by professionals. Usher's uncanny ability at all instruments confuses the narrator.
Why has Roderick Usher summoned the narrator?
Why has the narrator come to the house of Usher? The narrator is summoned by the house's
sickly inhabitant
, Roderick Usher, who wishes for the company of his “only personal friend.”
Why does the house collapse in the fall of the House of Usher?
At the end of the story, the House of Usher will literally fall into this tarn and be swallowed up by it. … Furthermore, the ultimate Fall of the House is caused by
an almost invisible crack in the structure
, but a crack which the narrator notices; symbolically, this is a key image.
Why does Roderick Usher bury his sister alive?
Madeline soon dies, and Roderick decides to bury
her temporarily in the tombs below the house
. He wants to keep her in the house because he fears that the doctors might dig up her body for scientific examination, since her disease was so strange to them.
What disease does Madeline Usher have?
According to Roderick, Madeline suffers from
a cataleptic disease
that has gradually limited her mobility. As Roderick talks about his sister's illness, the narrator sees her pass through a distant part of the house.
What is wrong with Madeline?
Madeline suffers from
a form of seizure disorder called catalepsy
. An important fact to remember is that victims of this disease could enter into a state like a coma in which they appeared to be dead. Madeline, who has been gradually growing sicker, appears to die, and is buried by Roderick and the narrator.
Which word from this excerpt could be used to argue that the narrator is unreliable shaking this off?
Which word from this excerpt could be used to argue that the narrator is unreliable? “
Unnerved
” suggests the narrator's nervousness.
Why did Usher preserve Madeline's body?
Roderick temporarily keeps Madeline's body in the house after her death in “The Fall of the House of Usher” because, due to the nature of Madeline's disease, he
wants to exercise caution before permanently entombing her
.
Which word from this excerpt could be used to argue that the narrator is unreliable No sooner?
Which word from this excerpt could be used to argue that the narrator is unreliable? “
Unnerved
” suggests the narrator's nervousness.
