What Is The Point Of View In The Fall Of The House Of Usher

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The Fall of the House of Usher In “The Fall of the House of Usher”, by Edgar Allen Poe, Poe describes the visit between his sick old friend, Roderick Usher. The narrator, although filled with dread at the sight of his home, provides Roderick comfort with his sickness, and the near death of Roderick’s sister. Through the use of first person point of view, formal diction, and many methods of characterization, Poe delivers a suspenseful tale which helps develop the readers understanding of the story. The story, “The Fall of the House of Usher” is written in first person point of view. An example in the text is, “I dared not -- I dared not speak!”(Poe). The narrator in the story is nameless, making his job to tell the story. First person point of view calls for the reader to question the accuracy of the story being told. Although this point of view makes the reader feel closer to narrator and story, the story may not be accurate because anything happening outside of the narrators view isn’t being told in the story. For example, if the story was told in third person, we would get information that some characters in the story don’t even get. The use of first person point of view limits the reader to only the narrator’s experience, but gives a more personal story. …show more content…
Poe’s use of characterization helps the reader understand the toll that Madeline’s “death” has on everything. In “The Fall of the House of Usher”, Poe uses first person point of view, elevated diction,and characterization methods to affect the readers understanding of the story. The use of first person point of view gives the reader the narrator’s personal view of the story. The use of formal diction aids in the characterization of the characters in the story. Describing the mansion as “dull” and “vacant” not only describes what the mansion looks like, but what sick old Roderick looks like. As the house is deteriorating, so is everyone else living inside