Vampirism in the Fall of the House of Usher

Bethany Risinger English 2341. 02 Dr. Watson September 20, 2011 Vampirism in The Fall of the Ho engross of direct The melodic theme of vampirism occurs several times through place The Fall of the dramatics of door guard written by Edgar Allen Poe. He shows this theme through many actions of the characters and his use of diction. The terce main paths of discovering the vampire theme is to closely examine three of the essence(predicate) instruments within the point. The three instruments used include Roderick Usher, Madeline Usher, and the House that the ii live in.Roderick Usher is used by Poe to demonstrate the vampire theme in two ways. In the launch of the short falsehood, Roderick is described with two physical and mental strangeness. His physical being is characterized as terribly neutered (152), having a Hebrew nose, and with a ghoulish color of jumble. These descriptions do non give an array of a normal human being. Edgar Allen Poe even writes that the fabricator couldnt connect its arabesque expression with any idea of honest humanity (152). There is obviously something wrong with Roderick physically to where he did not look like a human.These physical alterations are symbolisms for a vampire figure. Hebrew noses are known to be rather large and pointed downward, good-looking us the imagery of Dracula, a widely known vampire, who is described as ghoulish looking and with a long, pointed nose. This facial feature, along with the pale albino-like skin color can give us the mental image of a vampire. Although Rodericks physical features are important examples of the vampire theme, his mental unbalance is of more vastness to this theme.His thoughts and posts of things that happen make the idea of vampirism more evident. Roderick mentions that at that place is an extreme sense of scourge and superstition spare in the house, in the events that were happening, and in ones soon to happen. He is filled with hysteria along with aflutter agita tion and a mental disorder. When Roderick mentions that sooner or later (he for agitate) waive life and terra firma all together (153), he suggests that his life will soon come to an end.His life coming to an end could mean that he will die, but looking through the vampire lens, it could mean that he would soon become immortal (abandoning reason). Madeline Usher, Rodericks sister, is a rattling important example of the vampire theme in this story as well. Although she is rarely seen, only 3 times, she is a very important part of the plot and of the vampire theme in The Fall of the House of Usher. Through divulge the story she is secretly referred to as the terror described by Roderick and the narrator.When the narrator watches Madeline leave in her retreat, he is filled with a state of mental numbness, hinting that she was a terrorizing scene. Ironically, the period of the most vampiristic quality is when Madeline dies. When she dies, the two men, Roderick and the narrator, put her in a coffin and then in a locked away donjon (dungeon). The importance of this part, is that the two guys not only put her in the coffin, but they write out the lid on and lock the large door to the tomb as if to keep her from escaping.If she were dead, she wouldnt try to escape, so why bolt everything up? Only if they were burying the undead (hint) would they whole step the need to secure everything to where she could not get out. Another way that Madeline is an example of vampirism is when she comes back alive, which we later find out she was never dead, she escapes the coffin and tomb and comes forth to the two men and she bore him (Roderick) to the floor a corpse, and a victim to the terrors he had anticipated (161).In the vampiristic view of this particular scene, it could be suggested that the terrors Roderick spoke of were of Madeline being a vampire and of her track down to make himself a vampire as well. This might be the reason that Roderick invites his relay transmitter, the narrator, to come visit. Roderick probably thought that they two could defeat Madeline and overcome the terror that would ultimately consume Roderick. One last validation that makes The Fall of the House of Usher bear a vampiristic theme is the fact that the house itself has a vampire feel to it as well.The structure is defined as gothic, large, and lofty. When images of a vampire-inhabited house, one thinks of a large, dark, spooky place. Not only does the house have an appearance of a vampire, it has the power to suck the life out of deal as well (metaphorically speaking). At the very beginning when the author is maiden describing the house, he already has a sense of uneasiness about himself. He states that there is a utter depression of the soul (149) and does not feel at ease anymore.After entering the house and staying with Roderick for a few days, it becomes apparent that the narrator is getting more and more apprehension to the house and its inhabitants. S taying in the house with Roderick affected his mental awareness to a lot of things. He begins to hear the same noises that Roderick has head and becomes very engulfed with terror, just as his friend Roderick is. The house is a symbol for vampirism because it sucks the normality of the narrators thoughts and feelings out and inserted those of Rodericks.The vampiristic theme in The Fall of the House of Usher is a very easy one to pick out, one just has to read the story in a different way than before. To a person indication it plainly, they might not catch the little things that could hint to vampirism. For example, the crimson lunar month described at the end could just be the color or the moon on a random night, but for a person reading the story in a vampiristic viewpoint, they can see that blood-red includes the word blood which is the main focuses in vampirism. Vampires suck blood.