Even the first image of the story is one of an upside down reflection of the gloomy setting of the Usher mansion. ... He uses a couple of things to try and make you feel negatively about this place. ... He speaks of how the house has a "wild inconsistency- and how each individual stone is starting to decay and fall apart. ... Poe is trying to set the mood of the story by throwing out all of these negative things about the structure of the house and how it is decaying and falling apart. ... Their house is falling apart and this man has come to try to fix it, but that is not what happens. ...

• Word Count: 1744
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

Finally, the narrator goes over to him and listens to what he is saying. ... Commentary In "The Fall of the House of Usher," Edgar Allan Poe uses the setting to enhance the plot. ... The setting itself seems to infect the characters. ... Finally, after Roderick and Madeline die, the house breaks apart, representing the fate of the family. ... Yet Roderick ultimately dies from what he superstitiously believed he would: fear. ...

• Word Count: 1485
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School