Character Comparison for The Fall of the House of Usher and A Rose for Emily Essay Example

and there appeared to be a wild inconsistency between its still perfect adaptations of parts, and the crumbling condition of the individual stones” (Poe 1117).

In this quote, the narrator is speaking about the composition of the House of Usher and how it’s an oddity that the House is still standing considering the physical make-up of the pieces that comprise it. This is an allusion also to the psychological state we see in Roderick. As the story progresses, the narrator also questions the unique relationship Roderick and his sister Madeline experience and how they participate in an immoral connection which is modern day incest. Furthermore, the insanity is present in Roderick when he expresses his desire for burying his dead sister in a tomb which is located under the house.

This is also a direct connection for Poe between the title “The Fall of the House of Usher” and Roderick’s depleting sense of sanity. As described earlier, the external structure is starting to decay which is a direct link to Roderick’s mental capacity and the burial of his sister, who is believed to be dead, is a decaying of the internal structure due to the location of the tomb. “The brother had been led to his resolutions (so he told me) by consideration of the unusual character of the malady of the deceased, of certain obtrusive and eager inquiries on the part of her medical men” (Poe 1123).

Here the narrator is commenting on the downward spiral he is observing in Roderick as the story progresses because he believes that the doctors that were unable to cure her sickness would inevitably dig

up the body of Madeline and uses it for scientific research. As the story comes to a conclusion, the narrator petitions to Roderick that he has been hearing noises. Roderick exclaims that he had been hearing the noises that were being described for “many hours, many days” (Poe 1127). As the noises drew closer, both men gazed in awe to then see sister Madeline walking through the doorway.

In complete dismay and shock the narrator runs out of the house in utter shock. With the question of sanity or lack thereof at hand, we see that Roderick thinks nothing of the situation while the narrator is troubled. Unquestionably, the breach of sanity experienced in Roderick Usher is also universally prevalent in Emily Rose, the main character in “A Rose for Emily”. Throughout the story, Emily battles with a life of seclusion and a yearning for love from a companion. Her surrounding counterparts are a controlling father and a Negro servant. Insanity is revealed in many instances of the story.

One of the most profound and apparent signs of insanity begins with the relationship between her and her dad. “We remembered all the young men her father had driven away” (Faulkner 411). This is a brief summation of the unhealthy relationship shared between Emily and her father. She was unable to participate in relationships with other men because the other men were never suitable to his standards. Upon the death of her father, Emily fell into a deep sadness where she quit doing things such a teaching. Years would go by until a Yankee foreman by the name of Homer Barron would come along.