Fear In The Fall Of The House Of Usher

How does fear influence one’s actions? In her speech, “What Fear Can Teach Us,” Karen Thompson, Walker focuses on the duality of actions and fear and how fear drives actions. Walker’s argument about the duality of fear, how it can drive decisions and still have adverse effects, is illustrated in The Fall of the House of Usher as Roderick Usher goes crazy, buries his sister alive, and eventually dies.
In Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher, Roderick Usher is driven to insanity because he fears that his house is haunted. Usher is “enchained by certain superstitious impressions” that the house is cursed, which, in turn, leads him to insanity. This fear that his house is haunted leads Usher to overthink the atmosphere surrounding the mansion
Over the next few days, Roderick had begun to become a little more sickened. Previously, when Usher buried his sister, who was still alive, comes back to get her Roderick. Ushers fears were confirmed: “Madeline stands in white robes bloodied from her struggle. She attacks Roderick as the life drains from her.” Madeline came to take her brother after he took her life away. After being attacked by Madeline, “ he dies of fear.” Usher had already feared fear, and when his sister arose, fear itself killed him. All in all, Madeline came back with all intentions to get Usher, and when seeing her come back, fear terrorizes him and he dies.
In conclusion, in The Fall of the House of Usher, Roderick Usher’s fear caused him to go crazy, bury his sister alive, and dying. The act of being scared influences one’s actions when taken upon. Usher is driven into insanity over his house, he then buries Madeline after being worried, and the fear of fear then kills him. Usher’s take on fear relates to the real world, because anyone’s fears can get the best of them. “Courage is not the absence of fear, but the mastery of it.” Fear can either build one’s courage, or fear can bring one’s courage