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Leonard Miller
English 1102-10253
November 29, 2013
Alive with Character: Setting in the Works of Edgar Allan Poe
Setting is more than time and place. Setting constructs context: it crafts atmosphere,
creates mood, and drives the plot of a story to its conclusion. In the critical essay “Setting in ‘The
Fall of the House of Usher’: A Supernatural Actor,” the writer captures the essence of Poe’s use
of setting in his storytelling: “To have setting without mood and atmosphere means a lack of
emotional connection” (Al-Mahdawi). Within the works of Edgar Allan Poe, setting has as much
importance as the characters, and in some cases, setting can become a character as well,
producing a venue with not only simple external effects, but internally affecting characters
working within the confines of story.
When thinking of Poe’s works in regards to setting, two of his famous short stories are
immediately thrust to the forefront: “The Fall of the House of Usher” and “The Masque of the
Red Death.” These tales serve as poetic juxtaposition as the concept of duality is explored
through much of Poe’s works. Both tales create narratives that are eerie, chilling, and
unrelenting. However, though superficially the stories may seem to correlate within similar
settings, it is the manner in which Poe subtly uses these similar locales in drastically different
ways to create an analogous mood throughout their tales.
Edgar Allan Poe uses comparable scenery in most of his tales to create a sense of dread;
however, these locales, though similar, are expertly crafted in different manners in order to
differentiate the specific mood and atmosphere that Poe is trying to create. As stated in the
Comment [G1]: I do like your title but
because Poe had SO many works, this title
really doesn’t fit your essay because you’re
only tailoring it to relate to those studied
here.
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critical essay “Setting in ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’: A Supernatural Actor,” the writer
expresses an ideal that correlates with this notion: “The events happen all in the same place – a
remote, inaccessible surroundings – but the place each time is newly and splendidly decorated”
(Al-Mahdawi). In “The Fall of the House of Usher,” the narrator of Poe’s story arrives at the
mansion to which his friend from long ago, Roderick Usher, has summoned him. As the narrator
approaches the mansion, the landscape quickly becomes ominous, and the story begins to take its
grip by creating a setting that instantaneously generates an atmosphere of despair. “With the first
glimpse of the building, a sense of insufferable gloom pervaded my spirit” (Poe 397). The first
mention of the mansion paints a gloomy landscape for the events that will unfold over the course
of the story. From this clear and concise description, it is evident that the mansion itself will be
the setting in which horrific occurrences will take place. Poe goes on to give this setting a human
quality, which creates an even more tangible sense of misery as the inanimate dwelling is given
life. “I looked upon the scene before me… upon the vacant eye-like windows” (397). The
author’s choice of personification attaches more than just description to the mansion; it gives
depth and meaning to an otherwise simple yet dreary manor and lays the groundwork for the
development of the mansion as a character as well as the setting. Superb exposition here, xxxx.
Within the first pages of “Usher,” it is clear that the mansion itself has an evil presence
about it, piercing the very soul of the narrator as he first lays eyes upon the devilish dwelling.
Conversely, in Poe’s short story “The Masque of the Red Death,” the writer depicts a much
brighter and vibrant locale as he describes the manor of Prince Prospero: “This was an extensive
structure, the creation of the prince’s own eccentric yet august taste. A strong and lofty wall
girdled it in. This wall had gates of iron” (Poe 384). Similar to his description of the mansion in
“Usher,” Poe uses striking imagery as he describes the estate in order to set the mood and
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atmosphere in a way that will shape the subsequent events of the story. However, within the first
lines of “Red Death,” it is clear that the dwelling here was meant to serve as refuge and that
safety from the madness outside the walls waited within. Outside of this “strong” sanctuary, the
Red Death, or tuberculosis, plagues the countryside. People from across the land flock to the
prince’s domicile to escape the dangers of the outside world and relax in the safety that is the
prince’s estate.
Both stories are considered horror-fiction, and both happen within the confines of single
domicile, yet the mood and atmosphere set at the beginning of the each story are drastically
different. At the beginning of “Usher” an immediate sense of dread and hesitation become
palpable as the narrator approaches the mansion. Safety is outside of the manor, outside of the
grips of the ominous building. In “Red Death,” it is the danger that comes from outside the walls.
To enter the home of Prince Prospero is to enter into safety and be sheltered from the death and
dismay that riddles the countryside. In “Usher,” it is apparent that the house will be the setting
for the proceeding horrific events; while in “Red Death,” a sense of safety is suggested by the
author within the walls of the prince’s sanctuary.
The differences of the homes in both stories vary because of their connection to their
inhabitants. Both manors are extensions of the men living within them. Roderick Usher is a
mentally unstable man and a recluse. The narrator in “Usher” describes the letter sent to him by
Roderick. The letter describes Roderick as being with “acute bodily illness” and “a mental
disorder which oppressed him” (Poe 397). This description of Roderick comes directly after the
first descriptions of the house, and later in the story Roderick explains the correlation of the
house and his decline in health. The house and Roderick symbiotically weave together to blend
the same facets of the setting with its inhabitant. In “Red Death,” Prince Prospero, however, is a
Comment [G2]: Excellent point. I hope you
take the time to expound upon this.
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well-to-do member of the upper class living a lavish lifestyle. The state of the manor is an
obvious extension of Prospero, the home’s inhabitant.
Perhaps the largest difference between the two similar settings can be found within how
Poe uses these locales to drive the plot to the conclusion of the story. Within “Usher” the house
is the simple place in which the story takes place, but it also becomes a living being. According
to Dale Bailey in his essay “The Sentient House and the Ghostly Tradition: The Legacy of Poe
and Hawthorne,” the house itself becomes a character: “As [the] title frequently suggests,
however, the house itself--the physical structure--serves as antagonist in the haunted house tale”
(Bailey). The home itself in “Usher” comes to life and drives the plot towards its conclusion.
Within “Usher” the narrator reacts to a startling event, “No sooner had these syllables passed my
lips, than – as if a shield of brass indeed, at the moment, fallen heavily upon a floor of silver – I
became aware of a distinct, hollow, metallic, and clangorous, yet muffled, reverberation” (Poe
408). In this passage the house is reacting intelligently to the words spoken by the narrator. This
evidence of the house’s own self-awareness distresses the narrator as the story reaches its
climactic end.
The story ends with the death of Roderick as his ghostly sister attacks and kills him, and
with this, the house begins to fall apart. “My brain reeled as I saw the mighty walls rushing
asunder – there was a long tumultuous shouting like the voice of a thousand waters” (Poe 409).
After witnessing the death of Roderick, the narrator flees the mansion, and once to safety, turns
and watches as the house crumbles to pieces until there are only fragments. The death of both
Roderick and the house cements the relationship and connection of the two characters. In John
Timmerman’s critical essay “House of Mirrors: Edgar Allan Poe's ‘The Fall of the House of
Usher’” he states, “The decayed house mirrors Usher's mind. The sinking of the house into the
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reflecting pool dramatizes the sinking of the rational part of the mind” (Zimmerman). The
connection between Roderick and the house mirror one another in the final lines of “Usher” as
they both reach their demises. Death cannot exist without life, and the “death” of the house is the
final confirmation of the house as a living character from within the story.
As in “Usher,” the setting of “Red Death” serves as a driving force behind the plot.
Though the setting does not become a character as literally as the setting does in the former
story, there is a direct correlation between the setting and the characters within the story. In “Red
Death,” an ebony clock rings at the top of every hour, which immediately pauses the otherwise
unbridled celebration that happens within the house of Prospero. It’s unearthly tone serves as a
reminder of death as it inhabits a black chamber. As the story ends, the Red Death enters the
party and leads the prince to the final chamber where the prince meets an unusual death.
Before the story reaches the final moments of Prospero’s life, safety can be seen in the
first of the seven rooms, the blue room, in which most of the guests appear to congregate. This
room can be said to signify life not only because of its rich blue color, but because of its
furthermost location from the black room, which signifies death. Poe seemingly uses a peculiar
setting of seven rooms with various colors to drive the plot, as Prospero is ultimately drawn to
the western-most room, the black room, where he meets his demise. It is difficult to ignore that
these rooms are described as progressing from east to west, as if the setting itself suggests a
movement from life to death, where the plot rises in the east and concludes in the west. In Brett
Zimmerman’s book Edgar Allan Poe: Rhetoric and Style, the author makes no absolute
interpretation to the meaning of the rooms or the progression through these rooms. However, his
analysis suggests that the progression mirrors the progression of time, as is also seen on the
ebony clock in the black room, and that the death of Prospero mirrors the chiming of the clock at
Comment [G3]: I was waiting for you to
get into color imagery in “Red Death.”
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the top of the hour (54-56). Many different interpretations can be made about the symbolism
used in the “Red Death,” but what remains clear is that Poe purposefully uses the progression of
the Red Death through the sanctuary as a driving force for the plot.
In “Red Death,” as in “Usher,” there is a connection between the setting and the
characters within the story. In the critical essay “Inside ‘The Masque of the Red Death,’” Martin
Roth states, “[The Red Death] is a characterological duplicate of both the black chamber and its
ebony clock” (Roth). The setting of the black chamber and the ebony clock that sits within that
chamber serve as a reminder that no one escapes death. Try as they might, the partygoers within
the house of Prospero are constantly reminded of death each time the clock sounds. At the end of
the story as the Red Death takes the lives of Prospero and the other guests inside the house, the
same narrative is duplicated. The Red Death as well as the ebony clock in the black chamber
serve as the delivery mechanisms of the story’s theme: there is no escape from death.
Within both stories, Poe utilizes the setting to drive the story to its conclusion. In
“Usher,” Poe connects the house with Roderick in a very literal way as the two mirror each other
in appearance, state of being, and also in death. This dichotomy allows the setting to not only
affect the plot externally, but also to be involved in the plot in a very literal way. In “Red Death,”
Poe creates a setting that serves as a symbol for the antagonist of the tale, the Red Death. The
black chamber and ebony clock foreshadow the Red Death and the climactic end of the story. In
both short stories Poe relies on the setting to create a similarly horrifying mood, yet expertly
devises this atmosphere by taking the similar setting in both stories and using them in drastically
different ways.
On the surface, both of these tales by Poe seem to have similar devices that allow them to
tell a similar story. On closer examination, it is evident that the art of using the setting to create
Comment [G4]: Just a “pet peeve:” usage of
“seem.” My theory is that when a writer uses
“seem/seems” it connotes a feeling of doubt
or lack of confidence in what is being said.
My advice would be to always suggest what
is being said in definite terms. Let the reader
decide to argue the point or not.
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mood and atmosphere is in the details. Poe expertly crafts a setting in “Usher” that is connected
to a main character and becomes a character itself. Poe describes a setting that looms over the
story and haunts the character within it. In “Red Death” Poe does something very different. He
creates a sense of safety that beckons people to enter, rather than repel them as in “Usher.”
Rather than creating a setting that literally comes to life, Poe foreshadows the ending of the story
in his very description of the progression of the rooms. Thereby, he uses the setting to convey a
sense of impending doom.
Two dramatically similar yet different stories both brilliantly showcase the importance of
setting within a story. In “The Fall of the House of Usher,” Poe creates a setting that is both
physical locale and antagonist. This dichotomy creates a lair so vile that the dread leading to the
climax of the story becomes overwhelming. Conversely, in “The Masque of the Red Death,” Poe
describes a setting that is meant to feel guarded and safe. This sense of safety is abruptly
interrupted by the ringing of an ebony clock, and later by the Red Death himself, creating a
jarring realization that the same feeling presented in “The Fall of the House of Usher,” terror, is
lurking. Poe proves that setting is more than time and place; he illustrates how important the
mood and atmosphere are for a story, and how the former directly correlates with the latter. The
setting of a story has as much influence in the development of a story as the characters and the
plot. Without a rich and robust setting, much about a story can be lost, but if utilized carefully,
the setting can create a story alive with depth and character.
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Works Cited
Al-Mahdawi, Abeer. "Setting in ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’: A Supernatural
Actor." Academia.edu. Academia, n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2013.
Bailey, Dale. "The Sentient House and the Ghostly Tradition: The Legacy of Poe and
Hawthorne." American Nightmares: The Haunted House Formula in American Popular
Fiction. Bowling Green, Ohio: Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1999. 1524. Rpt. in Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism. Ed. Kathy D. Darrow. Vol. 220.
Detroit: Gale, 2010. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 7 Nov. 2013.
Poe, Edgar Allan. “The Fall of the House of Usher.” Literature: An Introduction to Fiction,
Poetry, and Drama. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 12th ed. New York: Longman,
2013. 397-409. Print.
---. “The Masque of the Red Death.” The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe. Ed.
Arthur H. Quinn and Edward H. Neill. New York, NY: Barnes & Noble, 1992. 384-388.
Print.
Roth, Martin. "Inside 'The Masque of the Red Death.'” SubStance 13.2 (1984): 50-53. Rpt.
in Short Story Criticism. Ed. Rachelle Mucha and Thomas J. Schoenberg. Vol. 88.
Detroit: Gale, 2006. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 5 Nov. 2013.
Timmerman, John H. "House of Mirrors: Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Fall of the House of
Usher.'." Papers on Language and Literature 39.3 (Summer 2003): 227-244. Rpt.
in Short Story Criticism. Vol. 111. Detroit: Gale, 2008. Literature Resources from Gale.
Web. 7 Nov. 2013.
Zimmerman, Brett. Edgar Allan Poe: Rhetoric and Style. Montreal: McGill-Queen's UP, 2005.
Print.
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You have submitted really a masterful piece of analysis on Poe’s use of setting in both of the stories
studied here. IF I had to be super critical, I would only say that I wish there had been MORE direct
quotes from the stories themselves. If you look back, there are more listed from the secondaries, and the
trouble with that is that the essay can be seen as a “report” on the secondary sources more than an
analysis of the primaries with secondary support from the critics and scholars. Having said that, I need
to tell you how absolutely impressed with this essay I am. Please allow me to anonymously use it as a
model for other classes?
Thank you for crossing my path in both 1101 and 1102. On the days that I thought I was back teaching
on the high school level, I’d look over at you and truly know that there was at least one person taking in
what I was “selling” and planning to incorporate it into his own learning. Good luck and fortune in
future classes wherever they may lead you.
C/O=20
D=20
S/S=20
G/M=20
TOTAL=100A (I couldn’t have hoped for any better!)
R/D=20