Edgar Allen Poe and the Use of Setting

            Edgar Allen Poe’s stories are well known for their dark and horrifying nature, with many stories such as, “The Fall of the House of Usher, containing elements that are meant to build a sense of unease and suspense within his readers before delivering his big finish in a terrifying conclusion that largely leaves his readers in a state of shock and horror after they finish reading. This is something that many readers of Poe can attest to and he uses many literary tools to accomplish this task. However, none of his tools are more effective in this endeavor than his use of the settings of his works.    

In the case of “The Fall of the House of Usher”, one can observe that the setting certainly adds a horrific element to the story that also provides clues to what lies within it. The entire story takes place on the property of Rodrick Usher, the speaker’s boyhood friend who is suffering from a severe mental illness because of his family’s long line of incest. The state of Usher’s mind can be easily reflected within the condition of his home, with its gothic elements and crumbling structure, which can be easily taken as a metaphor for the horrifying condition of Usher and his sister Madeline as both have their own horrors to deal with and both are slowly crumbling away as a result of their illnesses. As the story goes on, the location begins to add to the sense of unease even further due to a severe rainstorm outside, draping the story in an eerie atmosphere that builds the tension of the story for, not only the characters of the speaker and Rodrick Usher, but the reader as well. As the weather gets worse and worse Rodrick’s behavior continues to grow more erratic and fear inducing until he confesses that he buried his sister alive to the speaker. It is at that exact moment that Madeline once again appears, scaring Usher to death before falling on top of him and truly passing away herself, leaving the speaker to flee the hose in terror. When one takes the slow buildup of fear that the condition of the house and the horrible weather brings to the reader and characters in the story it is easy to see just how effectively the setting of Poe’s work plays a role in its intent.