In his macabre short story, "The House of Usher," Edgar
Allan Poe employs one of his techniques which he uses, the double
entendre. That is, the narrative and its ideas turn and duplicate
themselves in meaning Madeline and the house itself are examples of this use
of double entendre.
As the title of
Poe's story, "The House of Usher" the implication is made that the narrative will be
about a family and its history. And, while this is true, the title is a
double entendre since the structural house, also is the house of
Usher, or as put in Modern English, the Ushers' house. Thus connected, the fissure in
the mansion is symbolic of the genetic
breakdown of the Usher family, a degeneration that is most apparent in
the character of Madeline Usher, the feminine, or physically weaker, side of the twins,
Roderick and Madeline. But, it is also manifested in Roderick, who, experiences "a
strong shudder over his whole person" much like the "shuddering" of the house. In
addition, Madeline is a double entendre; her physical ailments are
manifested in Roderick's mental ailments; both have the same meaning derived from the
fact that the Usher line is far too thin and they are twins who share genetic traits.
Thus, Madeline's bizarre physical condition symbolizes the deterioration
of Roderick's mind.
No comments:
Post a Comment