Romanticism in The Fall of the House of Usher ©2000 Reem Regina Tatar Various elements of Romanticism are interwoven throughout Edgar Allan Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher." The first of these elements is one of the most recognized themes of Romanticism, in which a person is moved to "follow the heart over the head." The second element is Roderick Usher's "sympathetic vibrations," shown in his suffering from nervous exhaustion. The last element is the negative influence of nature on the psychological state of Usher and the physical state of his house. An important aspect of Romanticism is that Romantics rely solely on their perceptions. Being moved to rationality is not common, as Romantics are most often going to follow their inner voice and heart alone. The major theme of Romanticism, strongly prevalent in the house and the life of Roderick Usher, is following the heart over the head. When Usher summons the narrator to visit him in his home, the narrator says that it the "apparent heart" of Usher's request that moved him to come. This summoning had allowed the narrator no room for hesitation. Here we see that rationality has no precedence - the narrator quickly follows his intuitive feeling that he must be with Usher. Usher himself is highly irrational; he follows his emotions rather than trying to appear reserved and proper when he first greets the narrator. In fact, the narrator says that Usher greets him with a "vivacious warmth." In examining Roderick Usher's mental state throughout "The Fall of the House of Usher," one can see that Roderick is suffering from nervous exhaustion. He often mentions throughout the story that his "heart is quivering." He suffers from bouts of hysterical mania, followed by extreme depression. In other words, he is a manic-depressive. His morbid acuteness of the senses has made most things surrounding him seem unbearable. Roderick is "enchained by certain superstitious impressions" as if his home is haunted. He is able to perceive supernatural sensations that the common person would not be able to sense. Roderick is also a hypochondriac - he is constantly in fear of his crumbling health. And his highly sensitive impressions can only find concrete expression through his abstract paintings. Exploring the physical surroundings of the Usher home, utter dreariness can describe the type of intense influence that this environment has on Roderick. It is a Gothic atmosphere, with "excessive antiquity," "old wood-work which has rotted for long years," crumbling stones, cobwebs. The "minute fungi" and miasma which have formed around the house are causing it to decay. The dreary house has made Roderick a captive hostage to his own insanity and the sheer gloom that hangs around him. Roderick's physical surroundings now represent the fact that he is a "victim of ennui." His paintings and music no longer thrill him; he is wrapped up in the terror of his depression. And although Roderick is highly artistic, he believes that he can not feel beyond the climax of emotion and passion that he has already experienced, musically and artistically: he feels "burned out." In "The Fall of the House of Usher," the inevitable collapse of Roderick's lineage, house, and health, all portray the unavoidable reality that nothing ever lasts in the material world. In the end of his life, Roderick Usher is led to pursue the twinges of his emotions and senses because the physical dimension no longer has any impact on him in a positive, healthy way. Roderick only has the urgent desire to follow his heavy heart. This intense emotional sensation is what evokes Roderick Usher's hysteria and ultimately his compelling desire to eradicate the passion and life force within him.