The Fall of the House of Usher Comparison

In the short story, “The Fall of the House of Usher,” the house is compared to the owner in a few different ways. Edgar Allan Poe, the author, uses the House of Usher as a symbol to the owner. He uses personification on the house and compares it with Roderick Usher’s eyes, hair, and overall appearance. Poe describes the House of Usher and says it has eyes. He describes it almost as a person and states it has “eyelike windows (p.308).” Later on, when he sees Usher again, he focuses significantly on his eyes. He then goes on to describe them as “an eye large (p.313).” This shows that he is comparing the house to Usher because they both have similar “eyes.” In the story Poe also describes their hair. When it comes to the house, he says it has, “fungi overspread…hanging in a fine tangled web-work from the eaves (p.311).” This shows how the house has a fungus that almost looks like hair hanging down from the roof. Later on, he describes Roderick Usher when they first see each other. He says that he has “hair of a more than weblike softness (p.313).” Both times he compares the house and the owner by saying their hair is like a cobweb. One of the main points that Poe focuses on is the overall appearance of the house and Roderick Usher. He believes that they are both run-down and not very well taken care of. He describes the house as being, “melancholy (p.308)” and Usher as having a “cadaverousness of complexion (p.313).” This shows that he believes that they both have a sad look and feel. In conclusion, Edgar Allan Poe uses the House of Usher as a symbol to the owner by comparing their eyes, hair, and overall