The Canterville ghost analysis.

Plot Summary
The Otis Family Moves In
Despite warnings that Canterville Chase houses a fearsome ghost, Mr. Hiram B. Otis, an
American minister, buys the estate, located near Ascot, England. On a lovely July evening,
Mr. Otis; his wife, Mrs. Otis; their son, Washington; their teenaged daughter, Virginia; and
their twin boys, "The Stars and Stripes," move into their new home, Canterville Chase. As
their wagonette nears the estate, the sky darkens and it begins to rain.
As they pull up to the mansion, they are greeted by the housekeeper, Mrs. Umney, who
serves them tea in the library. Mrs. Otis notices a bloodstain on the floor and insists that it
be removed, but Mrs. Umney objects, explaining that it is Lady Eleanore de Canterville's
blood. She was murdered in that exact spot by her husband, Sir Simon de Canterville, in
1575. She tells them that Sir Simon went on to become the Canterville ghost, and the
bloodstain is of interest to tourists and cannot be removed. Washington scoffs at the notion
and removes the bloodstain. Suddenly, there is a flash of lightning and a clap of thunder
and Mrs. Umney faints. When she recovers, she warns the family that trouble is on the
way. The Otises dismiss her concerns.
The Otises Meet Sir Simon
The bloodstain reappears the next morning. Twice more Washington removes it; twice
more it returns. Finally, the Otises admit to the existence of Sir Simon, the Canterville
ghost. Removal of the bloodstain becomes a morning routine, and the spot takes to
assuming a different color each day, a development that amuses all of them except young
Virginia.
On the fourth night at 1:00 a.m., the ghost of Sir Simon appears in the hallway, clanking
his chains. Mr. Otis insists the ghost oil his chains and leaves a small bottle of Tammany
Rising Sun Lubricator oil for the ghost to take. Angry at this offering, Sir Simon flees down
the corridor, but before he disappears, the twins throw pillows at his head. Thoroughly
unnerved, the ghost vanishes through a wall. He spends that night moping in his secret
room, appalled at the degree of disrespect the Americans show him. He plans revenge.
The next morning Mr. Otis expresses bitterness over the fact that Sir Simon did not take
the oil and concludes that the family "shall have to take his chains from him" if they are
ever going to get any sleep. Over the next several weeks, the Otis boys conduct a
campaign of harassment against the ghost to which Sir Simon retaliates with his most
frightening persona. But despite his three centuries of experience as a terrifying apparition,
none of his tricks faze the Otises. He is reduced to a nervous, exhausted wreck and finally
gives up trying altogether.

When the Duke of Cheshire comes to stay at Canterville Chase, Sir Simon considers
taking action against the family again. However, the ghost is terrified of the twins and
chooses to remain in his chamber. Instead of being given a fright, the duke dreams
peacefully of Virginia.
Virginia Gets Involved
Virginia Otis comes upon Sir Simon one afternoon as he is brooding in the Tapestry
Chamber. He is so depressed that she feels sorry for him. He says there is no reason for
him to exist if he can't clank his chains and speak through keyholes. Virginia expresses her
sympathy and then berates him for using her paints to replace the library's bloodstain and
for murdering his wife. Sir Simon defends his actions. He admits he has not slept in 300
years. He references a prophecy that says a "golden girl" will someday weep and pray for
him, and then he will enjoy eternal rest. Virginia agrees to help him, and the two vanish
through the Tapestry Chamber wall.
Suppertime arrives and the Otis family panics when Virginia cannot be found. After
searching the house and surrounding area for much of the night, the family regroups in the
manor. At midnight the clock strikes, eerie music plays, and Virginia returns. She is holding
a coffin-shaped box of jewels the ghost has given to her. She takes everyone to his secret
chamber, where his skeleton is chained up. Virginia says a prayer for Sir Simon, and this
causes the once-barren almond tree to instantly blossom in the moonlight. Virginia
declares this is a sign that God has forgiven Sir Simon for his sins; now he can rest in
peace.
Farewell, Sir Simon
With Sir Simon's soul at rest, the Otises give his remains a nighttime funeral. Mr. Otis is
uneasy with the idea of Virginia keeping Sir Simon's jewels, but Lord Canterville insists.
Years later Virginia wears the jewels when she marries longtime beau Cecil, the Duke of
Cheshire, in the presence of the queen. After their honeymoon, Virginia and the duke visit
Sir Simon's grave. They talk about the ghost; Virginia refuses to reveal what went on
between the ghost and her when he had held her in his chamber. The duke guesses that
perhaps she will someday tell the secret to their children, and this causes Virginia to blush.
Characters
Sir Simon de Canterville
Sir Simon de Canterville is a fearsome ghost who has haunted Canterville Chase for more
than three centuries. He murdered his wife, Lady Eleanore, in the estate's library in 1575.
Nine years later her brothers exacted revenge, and Sir Simon became the Canterville
ghost. He is very English and takes pride in his extensive record of terrifying the residents
of Canterville Chase. However, the retaliation of his new residents, an American family,
causes him anxiety and stress, weakening his spirit until he no longer wants to make his
presence known. In the end, he finds eternal peace through the fulfillment of a prophecy
that releases his spirit from Canterville Chase. Oscar Wilde paints a comical picture of
what is supposed to be a terrifying spirit, with Sir Simon's collection of props and personae
that he uses to frighten his victims and his pilfering of paints from Virginia to replace the
"bloodstain" on the sitting room floor. In this way, the ghost is unconventional—readers
don't see Sir Simon as a "spook" but rather as a human seeking revenge for something.
And though he is a ghost, he is not immune to injury or illness, further humanizing his
character and creating empathy in readers for his situation.
Mr. Otis
Mr. Otis, a wealthy middle-aged American, buys Canterville Chase despite warnings from
its owner, Lord Canterville, that it is haunted. He dismisses the notion of a ghost on the
practical grounds that Americans do not believe in them. Later, when the existence of Sir
Simon is beyond doubt, he applies that practical approach to deciding how best to
accommodate the presence of a supernatural spirit by offering the ghost lubricating oil to
quiet his chains. And when the ghost rejects his offer, he simply concedes that the family
will need to take away his chains, as if the action is fairly simple to do. Through Mr. Otis,
Wilde exaggerates American vigor. Mr. Otis is a proponent of all things American—his
children are named Washington, Virginia, and "The Stars and Stripes" (in reference to the
American flag). He often boasts about the progress of man within modern American
culture, scoffing at the long-held "old-school" traditions of the British. Yet he does admit to
a certain value in aristocracy when it comes to holding a reputation for wealth by honoring
Virginia's wishes to wed the Duke of Cheshire. Additionally, Mr. Otis admits to taking Lord
Canterville's ghost at "valuation"—Americans appreciate the value of European culture
and "buy it up" to display on stages and in museums.
Virginia Otis
Virginia is the most sensitive and artistic of the Otis children, excluding herself from their
harassment of the Canterville ghost and eventually forming a sort of friendship with him.
She is sensitive and caring, which is reflected in her attitude in dealing with the ghost's
antics—she keeps secret the fact that Sir Simon has been stealing her paints and offers
Sir Simon a sandwich after he admits he is starved. These acts display her sympathy for
the ghost, and yet she does not approve of his hauntings and misdeeds, as indicated by
her berating him when the two meet in the Tapestry Room. Her sympathy toward him is
perhaps what enables her to not fear him, evident when she doesn't hesitate to help him.
At the end of the story, she is instrumental in helping Sir Simon's soul gain peace by
fulfilling a prophecy. Early in the story it is revealed that the Duke of Cheshire admires
Virginia. By the story's end, she is wed to the duke, becoming the Duchess of Cheshire.
Twins
The twins, who are never referred to by their individual names in "The Canterville Ghost,"
are very rambunctious and delight in tormenting the title character. They ignore their
father's orders to show the ghost some respect and continually annoy family and servants
with their constant setting of tripwires and other traps. Their antics are so distressing to the
ghost that Sir Simon actually comes to fear them. The twins always appear and act as a
team. Their nickname, which is highly patriotic in that it is also a nickname for the
American flag, also refers to their troublemaking behavior—they see "stars and stripes"
after a "swishing" or spanking when they have misbehaved.
Setting
"The Canterville Ghost" is set in the English countryside in the late nineteenth century.
Canterville Chase, where most of the story takes place, is described in Gothic terms. It is
an old mansion with secret rooms and passageways, long corridors, carved gargoyles,
stained glass windows, and oak paneling. Portraits of long-dead Canterville ancestors,
ancient tapestries, and a suit of armor add to the medieval-like setting. Frequent thunder
and lightning storms also contribute to the gloomy atmosphere. In short, Canterville Chase
seems to fit the stereotype of a haunted house.
Special devices
"Miss Virginia E. Otis was a little girl of fifteen, lithe and lovely as a fawn" (Simile)
This simile is used to introduce Virginia at the start of the story. The comparison indicates
her fragility and innocence, since she is likened to a young deer, which is typically
considered a vulnerable creature. By comparing Virginia to an animal, the idea is also
planted that she is more closely aligned with Nature than with human society: she values
following her natural compassion and doing what she thinks is right, not following social
codes and norms.
"His eyes were as red as burning coals" (Simile)
This simile is used to describe the ghost's fearsome appearance when Mr. Otis first sees
him. Burning coals carry the suggestion of causing pain, which implies the ghost may be
capable of violence, and also raise the traditional idea of hell as a fiery, burning place,
suggesting that the ghost is some sort of cursed spirit. The simile is a very traditional way
of describing a ghost, monster, or other supernatural figure, and it therefore conforms to
readers' expectations of a conventional Gothic story. However, the simile serves to
enhance the comedy that follows when Mr. Otis shows no sign of being afraid of the ghost.
"A horrible spectre, motionless as a carven image" (Simile)
This simile is used to describe the "ghost" that the Ghost of Canterville is initially terrified
by, only to later realize that he has been the victim of a cruel prank. The simile compares
the fake ghost to a sculpture or to an image carved of stone, and therefore puts an
emphasis on its stillness. By drawing attention to the way the fake ghost is motionless, the
simile foreshadows the revelation that it is not a real ghost. The simile also plays with a
contrast in different art forms: the "real" Canterville Ghost is often compared to an actor
whereas the "fake" ghost is compared to a sculpture. Just like an actor can perform art in a
more vivid way by being able to speak and move around, the "fake" ghost can only try to
instill terror by remaining still and lifeless.
"A hideous garment, like to his own, swathed with its silent snows the Titan form"
(Metaphor)
This metaphor is part of the description of the fake ghost that tricks and upsets the
Canterville Ghost. The white cloth of the fake ghost's garment is compared to "silent
snows," and the large size of its body is compared to a Titan. Since Titans were
mythological figures known for their huge and often fierce or threatening bodies, this
metaphor communicates why the Canterville Ghost is scared of this other ghost. The
metaphors give the description of the fake ghost a poetic and artistic tone that helps to
make the moment confusing to both the Canterville Ghost and the reader: this type of
language seems to suggest that the story has shifted into a Gothic or supernatural tone
where threatening spirits might actually appear. The language here also heightens the
contrast with the mundane reality when it is later revealed that the fake ghost is made out
of household materials like turnips and bedsheets.
"Her little lips trembled like rose-leaves" (Simile)
This simile is used to describe Virginia's reaction when she learns that the ghost has not
slept peacefully for more than 300 years. The trembling reveals that she is upset on his
behalf, while the comparison of the trembling to rose-leaves implies that she remains
attractive even while she displays this emotion. If anything, Virginia's sensitivity and
empathy enhance her beauty. The simile suggests that Virginia is also natural and
authentic: she doesn't try to hide her emotions, but rather openly displays them, just like
the natural world does not hide or fake anything.
Virginia's marriage (Dramatic Irony)
Virginia's marriage is ironic because it shows the Otis family becoming embedded within
the English aristocracy. For much of the story, it seems like the Otis family has a totally
different approach and life philosophy, and that the point of the story if to contrast how
different Americans and Europeans are. However, the happy marriage between Virginia
and the Duke shows that both groups can get along, and that even if they make fun of
them, European aristocrats are not going to be able to survive without the Americans.
Virginia's marriage ensures that an aristocratic bloodline will continue through the children
she will presumably have, but those children are now ironically going to be connected to
America and American values.
The ghost's conscientiousness (Situational Irony)
Ghosts are usually seen as lawless and defiant of rules and expectations: they defy the
basic expectation of the dead not returning to the land of the living, and because of their
supernatural powers, they cannot easily be banished or defeated. While the Canterville
Ghost certainly does not like being told what to do, he ironically does feel very compelled
to maintain his honor and integrity. For him, this is connected to fulfilling certain tasks like
maintaining the bloodstain and haunting the halls at certain times. Even though more than
300 years have gone by, the ghost has never questioned his duty to continue to uphold
traditions and do things the way he has always done them. Ironically, a figure for whom
rules or laws no longer apply is far more concerned with following protocol than the actual
humans around him are. As Lydia R. Wilburn notes, "Wilde succeeds in upending
conventional notions of good and evil when he elicits from the reader some sympathy for
the Ghost who had committed a crime but who is responsible, concerned for others, and
polite" (Wilburn, pg. 49).
The ghost is asked to oil the chains (Situational Irony)
When Mr. Otis first encounters the ghost, he is annoyed by the sound of the clanking
chains and suggests that the ghost oil the chains to make them less noisy. This suggestion
is ironic because it inverts the expected power dynamic between the ghost and his victim.
In most ghost stories, the specter is the one who holds the power by frightening and
threatening their human victim; the person who is targeted by the ghost is usually at their
mercy, and inclined to do whatever they are told. Because he is not afraid of the ghost, Mr.
Otis does not take on the role of the victim, and it is the ghost who ends up being
intimidated and told what to do.
The Canterville Ghost is scared of another ghost (Dramatic Irony)
When the Canterville Ghost encounters the fake ghost the twins have set up to fool him,
he is deceived into thinking it is another ghost like him. More importantly, and ironically, he
is terrified of this other ghost: he has exactly the reaction that the Otis family was expected
to have when he first started haunting them. Even though it seems like he should be aware
of the tricks and techniques used to inspire fear, the ghost still falls for it.

Symbols
Pinkerton’s Champion Stain Remover (symbol)
The stain remover symbolizes the American philosophy of resolving problems in a
pragmatic way, and placing trust in science and consumerism. The appearance of a
mysterious bloodstain seems like it should be frightening, but the Otis family does not
react with any emotion; they simply see the bloodstain as an obstacle that they can
handle. They use the stain remover to respond to a challenging situation. The fact that the
stain remover is mass-produced and marketed under a brand name also highlights the
American philosophy of placing a lot of trust in consumer goods. They believe that money
can be spent to buy the right thing, and that money can therefore solve most problems.
The box of jewels (symbol)
When Virginia returns from her mysterious disappearance, she has a box of jewels that
she says Sir Simon gave her as a gift. The jewels symbolize Virginia's integrity and inner
value, as well as her transition into adulthood. The kindness and courage she shows by
helping the ghost reflect that she is a good person, and, more specifically, a good woman:
the jewels offer an external manifestation of that virtue and inner beauty. The jewels also
symbolize Virginia's connection to a different world and culture than the one she grew up
in: her father is uncomfortable with her accepting jewels because he knows they symbolize
the ideas of ancient tradition and hereditary wealth, which he is uncomfortable with as an
American and self-made man. Virginia, however, is going to marry into that world, and the
jewels symbolize the start of her transition into understanding it.
The blossoming of the almond tree (symbol)
When Virginia kneels down to pray next to Sir Simon's skeleton, an old almond tree
located on the grounds of Canterville Chase suddenly blossoms. The tree bursting into
bloom symbolizes the redemption of Sir Simon's soul: he is no longer doomed to restlessly
wander as a ghost, and now he can pass into the afterlife and be at peace. The
blossoming of the tree may also symbolize a change within Virginia: as a result of
whatever she has experienced during her time with the ghost, she is no longer a child, and
is now emotionally and spiritually prepared to transition into the role of wife and mother.
The blossoming indicates maturity, fertility, and greater beauty.
The bloodstain (symbol)

The bloodstain symbolizes tradition and continuity with the past. It has been appearing for
more than 300 years and has become a well-known and notable feature of the house. Mrs.
Umney is quite proud of the bloodstain, and she not only accepts that it cannot be
changed, but she also does not actually want to disrupt something that has always been a
certain way. The Otis family, on the other hand, does not feel this attachment to the past:
they simply see the stain as an unpleasant inconvenience that can be resolved with the
help of modern products.

The fall of the house of Usher

Plot Summary
Setting the Scene
On a dark autumn day at an unnamed time in the past, the narrator rides toward
the House of Usher. At first glimpse he finds the decaying house disturbing, but he can't
explain exactly why. Despite the gloom this sight inspires in him, the narrator rides on to
visit his boyhood friend Roderick Usher. Roderick had written him a letter asking him to
visit. Roderick's letter has described his suffering from both mental and physical illnesses.
The narrator plans to stay for several weeks.
The narrator and Roderick had been friends when they were boys, but the narrator doesn't
really know Roderick well because his friend had always been reserved. He does know the
Usher family is an ancient one with a reputation for charity and good taste in art, especially
music. However Roderick has no direct heir or cousins. This family has always had just
one direct line of descent. Because there was just one Usher heir at any given time, local
lore had fused the heir and the Usher family itself with the family's mansion, until it seemed
like they were one and the same.
When the narrator looks up at the house again, he feels a dark and pestilent atmosphere
surrounding the house, seeping out from the house's walls and from the small lake and
rotting trees nearby. After a moment, he tries to convince himself this impression was a
dream and looks at the house again. It seems very old and strange. As a whole it is intact,
and no part of it has collapsed or crumbled. However, the individual sections are crumbling
and covered with fungus and spider webs. He thinks he can see a jagged crack running
from the roof down the wall and into the lake.

Roderick and Madeline

A servant takes the narrator's horse. He walks through the house, which is dark and full of
strange decorations. He greets the Usher family doctor and then arrives at Roderick
Usher's studio, which is large and dim. It is full of books and instruments, but it seems sad
and gloomy. Roderick, who is resting on a couch, gets up to greet the narrator. Roderick's
appearance has changed enough to disturb his friend. Roderick's face is pale, his eyes
bright, and his hair wild. Like the house, Roderick seems a mass of contradictions. He
alternates between being sullen and lively. Roderick tells the narrator how much he has
wanted to see him and about his illness. His condition, which runs in the family, makes his
senses especially acute. He's frightened and sure he will die soon. Roderick stays inside
the house all the time and believes the house has affected his mental and spiritual state.
He also admits some of his depression is because his sister, Madeline, is deathly ill.

As he says all this, Madeline moves through the room without seeming to notice the
narrator, which makes him inexplicably afraid. No doctor can explain Madeline's illness.
She's wasting away, and sometimes she falls into catalepsy, a state of trance
characterized by loss of motion.

For the next several days Roderick doesn't mention Madeline, and the narrator tries to
cheer Roderick up. They play music, paint, and talk for long periods, though the narrator is
unable to recount exact specifics. He notes that when Usher paints, he paints pure "ideas,"
or abstractions. One of these paintings shows a long vault, without any window or light, but
which is somehow still lit. Because of Roderick's overly acute senses, he can play only the
guitar (no other instruments). Roderick sings a song about a haunted palace. It makes the
narrator wonder whether Roderick is becoming mentally unbalanced. In the conversation
following the song, Roderick speculates that all vegetation has some intelligence, and in
some cases, objects thought to be inanimate become intelligent too, such as the Usher
family home. He speculates the house has molded his family, and him. The narrator won't
speculate on this idea, but he does say that the Usher family library, which includes
numerous volumes on death and religion, has shaped his friend's mind.

Death of Madeline
Madeline dies, and Roderick says his sister wanted her body preserved for two weeks
before being buried. She was concerned doctors would be curious about her medical
condition and would want to examine her body. The narrator helps Roderick prepare the
vault for this period. When the two men carry her casket down to the vault, the narrator
looks at Madeline's face and is struck by how much alike the siblings look. Roderick
mentions they are twins and have always been close. The narrator also notes how healthy
Madeline looks in death.

Once they close the coffin and return to the house, Roderick changes. He gets paler and
roams the house. His voice changes. He seems to be struggling with a tough secret, and
perhaps going mad. Roderick stares at nothing, like he's listening for a sound, and his
mood starts to influence the narrator.

Roderick's Fears
Seven or eight nights after they put Madeline in the vault, the narrator feels nervous and
worried. He sits up in bed and looks around the dark room, listening to strange sounds. He
gets dressed and starts pacing around his room. He hears footsteps and recognizes them
as Roderick's. Roderick knocks on his door. He looks hysterical and asks the narrator if
he's "seen it." Roderick opens the window to the storm, which is very powerful. There's a
whirlwind, and the clouds are so heavy they can't see the moon or stars. The narrator can
see strange mists around the mansion.

The narrator leads Roderick away from the window, saying he doesn't need to see these
strange things. Instead he picks up a book, Mad Trist by Sir Launcelot Canning, and reads
to Roderick. The distraction seems to be working, but when they reach a section with a lot
of action (and noise), the narrator hears a faint sound echoing the "cracking and ripping"
the novel had mentioned. After a moment, he reads on. He gets to a place where the
knight, Ethelred, strikes a dragon. When the dragon shrieks, the narrator hears a similar
scream from somewhere in the mansion. Even though he's astonished, the narrator still
pays attention to Roderick. He's not sure Roderick heard any of the sounds, but something
is happening. Roderick's head is resting on his chest, he's rocking, and his lips are
trembling like he's talking.
Madeline's Return
The narrator reads on, reaching a part in which a metal shield falls off the wall with a loud
clang. As soon as he reads this description, he hears a similar metal clang from
somewhere in the house. He jumps to his feet and rushes over to Roderick. He puts one
hand on his friend's shoulder and can finally hear what Roderick is saying. He's asking if
the narrator can hear the sounds that prove they buried his sister, Madeline, alive in her
tomb. He says all the sounds they've heard have been of her fighting her way out of her
coffin and the vault—and he (Roderick) has to escape, because she'll be there soon.
Jumping to his feet, he claims she's right outside the door.

Just as he says this, the doors open. The narrator says it is the wind—but Madeline
Usher is standing there, wrapped in her death shroud and covered with blood. She
wobbles in the doorway for a moment, moaning, and then falls forward on her brother. The
twins fall to the ground dead.
The narrator runs from the house. The storm is still blowing wildly. As the narrator crosses
the causeway, there's a strange light. He turns to look back. A blood-red moon is setting
behind him. It is shining through a crack in the house. As he watches, the crack widens.
The crack goes from roof to foundation. The house splits apart completely and falls into
the lake, leaving no trace behind of the House of Usher.

Characters
Roderick Usher
In many ways, Roderick Usher is the House of Usher: with his sister, Madeline, dying,
Roderick is all that remains of this ancient house. And both local custom and his own
beliefs link Roderick the man with the physical house in which the Usher family has long
lived, as if they were one and the same. Roderick is an educated man and an intellectual.
He reads widely and plays music. However, almost the whole of his existence is
consumed by his sorrow over his sister's illness, his own illness, and his resulting mental
condition and pervasive fear. His visiting friend (the narrator) finds Roderick tremendously
changed by what he has gone through. He's very pale, and his eyes shine brightly. He's
very thin, and his hair is wild. Because of his condition, Roderick is extremely sensitive to
external stimuli, which limits what he can eat, hear, see, and smell without pain. Though
Roderick is "onstage" throughout the story and Madeline largely isn't, Roderick as a
character is bound to Madeline. As twins, they were born together. As adult siblings, they
live together. As people who are functionally two parts of a single whole self, they also
sicken and ultimately die together.
Narrator

The narrator says little directly about himself or his character. He doesn't share where he
came from, what his own family life was like, or even his name. However, his thoughts, his
conversation, and his actions tell readers a great deal about him. He and Roderick were
friends when they were boys but haven't been close since. Despite this distance, he cares
enough to travel to visit Roderick at his family home. He is at ease with a wide range of
books and music. He also experiences the world through an abstracted lens. This can be
seen in the story's opening paragraphs, when he tries to see the landscape around the
house of Usher in terms of the sublime. The narrator's concern for Roderick is evident
throughout the story, from the fact that he visits, to how he takes on some of Roderick's
nervous condition, and how he tries to care for Roderick as his condition worsens.
Madeline Usher

Madeline barely exists in the story except in two ways: as Roderick's sister and double,
and as the embodiment of illness. Her doctors don't know what is wrong with her, only that
she is wasting away and is subject to fits of catalepsy, when she becomes completely rigid
and doesn't respond to the outside world at all. At those moments it is like she is already
dead. When she isn't suffering one of these spells, Madeline is barely more life-like: she
drifts from place to place without speaking to people or seeming to see them, as if she
were a ghost. Madeline's major appearance in the story occurs after she seems to have
died. She is buried alive and then comes back covered with blood, having clawed her way
out of her tomb. She embraces her brother, and they die together as the house collapses.

Setting

(To be fair, this was probably less of a cliché when Poe wrote “Usher.”) Notice that we
don’t know the geographical location nor a specific year when these events go down. The
fact is, the mood and atmosphere in the setting is far more important than the facts of time
and place. And it certainly is a powerful atmosphere that Poe creates. The outside of the
mansion is the first of many spooky settings Poe renders in his tale. You’ve got an ethereal
glowing cloud and a dark and scary lake, not to mention the ominous fissure running down
the center of the mansion. He creates a different but equally scary setting inside the
mansion, where the corridors, though filled with seemingly ordinary objects, seem to
scream “YOU ARE IN A HORROR STORY.” The dank underground tomb is yet another of
the masterfully-crafted mini-settings in “Usher,” one we actually recognize from the
Roderick’s painting earlier in the text (make sure you check out “Symbols, Imagery,
Allegory” for some juicy, painting-related thoughts).

The house itself is carefully crafted to heighten the mood and atmosphere of the story, like
the creepy tapestries and furnishings inside. The fact that Usher hasn’t left the house in
ages lends the tale a sense of claustrophobia. In fact, the narrator himself doesn’t leave
until the story’s end – which makes us, the reader, feel just as trapped as Roderick. The
house’s sentience is also a big deal – the physical setting of the story is as supernatural as
its action and themes. Then there’s the fall of the house itself, which we discuss in “What’s
Up With the Title?”

Special devices
Anaphora

As in his other short stories, Poe frequently uses anaphora in "The Fall of the House of
Usher." Anaphora is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is repeated at the
beginning of a clause or another group of words. Anaphora imparts emphasis and
balance. Here are boldfaced examples from "The Fall of the House of Usher":

I looked upon the scene before me–upon the mere house, and the simple
landscape features of the domain–upon the bleak walls–upon the vacant eye-like
windows–upon a few rank sedges–and upon a few white trunks of decayed
trees

While the objects around me–while the carvings of the ceilings, the sombre
tapestries of the walls, the ebon blackness of the floors, and the phantasmagoric
armorial trophies which rattled as I strode, were but matters to which, or to such as
which, I had been accustomed from my infancy–while I hesitated not to
acknowledge how familiar was all this — I still wondered to find how unfamiliar
were the fancies which ordinary images were stirring up.

Many minutes, many hours, many days, have I heard it

Symbolism
The Fungus-Ridden Mansion: Decline of the Usher family.
The Collapsing Mansion: Fall of the Usher family.
The “Vacant eye-like" Windows of the Mansion: (1) Hollow, cadaverous eyes of
Roderick Usher; (2) Madeline Usher’s cataleptic gaze; (3) the vacuity of life in the Usher
mansion.
The Tarn, a Small Lake Encircling the Mansion and Reflecting Its Image: (1) Madeline
as the twin of Roderick, reflecting his image and personality; (2) the image of reality which
Roderick and the narrator perceive; though the water of the tarn reflects details exactly,
the image is upside down, leaving open the possibility that Roderick and the narrator see a
false reality; (3) the desire of the Ushers to isolate themselves from the outside world.
The Bridge Over the Tarn: The narrator as Roderick Usher’s only link to the outside
world.
The name Usher: An usher is a doorkeeper. In this sense, Roderick Usher opens the door
to a frightening world for the narrator.
The Storm: The turbulent emotions experienced by the characters.

The pit and the pendulum

Summary
The Epigraph
The Latin epigraph at the beginning of the story translates as: "Here an unholy mob of
torturers with an insatiable thirst for innocent blood, once fed their long frenzy. Now our
homeland is safe, the funereal cave destroyed, and life and health appear where dreadful
death once was."

The Sentence and the Swoon

The story opens with the unnamed narrator hearing his sentence of death pronounced by
judges of the Spanish Inquisition. Their voices then seem to merge together, and he
ceases to hear them but sees their white lips moving. Next he sees seven tall white
candles before everything becomes black and silent.

The narrator explains that he swooned but did not lose all consciousness. He claims to
retain from his unconscious state "shadows of memory" involving tall figures carrying his
nearly lifeless body on an interminable descent into some dark, damp place.

Suddenly, motion returns to his soul: He feels and hears the beating of his heart. There is
a blank pause, and then motion returns, this time with touch. He is aware of his existence
without thinking. When thought returns, terror comes with it. Then he recalls the trial, the
judges, the sentence, the sickness, and the swoon.

The Discovery of the Pit

Lying on his back, the narrator opens his eyes and is terrified to find himself in pitch
blackness. He finds it hard to breathe in that dark, close atmosphere. He then begins to
wonder why he hasn't been burned in an auto da fé—or "act of faith"—the usual fate for
victims of the Inquisition. Suddenly seized with the fear that he has been enclosed in a
tomb, he springs up, feeling around with his arms in all directions. After taking a few steps,
he realizes he is not in a tomb. He then wonders what his fate will be; he knows he must
die but doesn't know how.
His fingers feel a cold, smooth, slimy wall that appears to be made of stone. He decides to
walk along the perimeter of his cell, counting his paces to measure its size. He tears off a
piece of his robe in order to mark his starting point so that he will know when he has made
a full circuit. However, he slips and stumbles and then falls asleep. Upon waking, he feels
a pitcher of water and a loaf of bread, both of which he eagerly consumes. He then
continues his walk. Having counted 52 paces before stumbling, he now counts another 48
before coming upon the rag. He concludes that his cell is about 50 yards in perimeter,
although the walls have many angles.

He decides to walk directly across the middle of his cell, but the floor is slimy, and he trips
on the hem of his robe and falls flat, with the upper part of his face hanging over the edge
of a circular pit. He then tests its depth by dropping a small piece of masonry and listening
to it hit the side of the chasm and finally plunge into water. At the same moment, an
overhead door quickly opens and closes, admitting a momentary gleam of light. Realizing
he accidentally avoided plunging into the pit, he begins to tremble at the thought of what
lies in store for him. Shaking with fright, he returns to the wall in order to avoid what he
imagines to be a number of pits in his cell.
The Cell, Illuminated
After a long time, he falls asleep and wakes to find more bread and water by him. Very
thirsty, he drinks the contents of the pitcher immediately and then quickly falls asleep.
When he awakens, a "wild sulphurous lustre" illuminates his prison. He can now see that
his prison is only 25 yards in perimeter and surmises that when he stumbled and fell
asleep in the course of measuring his paces around the cell, he must have begun walking
in the opposite direction after waking up.

He also realizes that the cell is basically a square with walls made of metal plates. The
joints between these plates had given him the impression of odd angles when he felt them
in the dark. The walls also have all sorts of fearful images painted on them, as of
menacing fiends and skeletons, and there is one circular pit in the middle of the stone
floor.

He has seen all this while lying on his back, bound to a wooden framework by a leather
strap that allows only his head and left arm some freedom of movement. He is able to use
his left arm to feed himself with spicy food that has been left in an earthen dish, but much
to his discomfort there is nothing left to drink, and the food has made him terribly thirsty.

The Terror of the Pendulum

Some 30 to 40 feet above him, he sees an image of Father Time painted on the ceiling,
holding what appears to be a pendulum instead of a scythe. After staring at it for a while,
he realizes it is slowly moving back and forth. He hears the noise of rats coming up from
the pit, attracted by the scent of his food, and does what he can to scare them away. After
a while he looks up again and notices that the pendulum seems bigger, is moving faster,
and has descended from the ceiling. He can now see it is a very sharp, crescent-shaped
blade that is getting closer and closer to him. He realizes the fate the inquisitorial agents
have planned for him after his accidental escape from the horrors of the hellish pit.

For what seems like days he lies in terror watching the pendulum slowly descend. Finally,
it approaches so closely that he feels the rush of air it makes. He prays, grows mad, and
even tries to force his body up to meet the blade. After a brief interval of unconsciousness,
he arrives at an idea that gives him hope. Unfortunately, his mental powers have grown so
weak that he immediately forgets the idea.

He realizes that the course of the pendulum will cut across his body precisely at the level
of his heart. As the blade descends further, he laughs madly and begins to struggle
violently against his bonds. He continues to shrink away each time the pendulum
approaches him, all the while imagining it cutting through him.

The Escape Plan

When the pendulum comes very close to his chest, he begins to think strategically. He
realizes that if the first stroke of the blade would cut any part of the leather strap that binds
him, he might be able to unwind it from his body. But when he lifts his head to look at his
chest, he realizes that the strap is wound all around his body, except in the path of the
descending blade.

Suddenly he remembers the idea he had forgotten. All this time the rats have been
swarming around the frame to which he is bound and have eaten nearly all of his food,
despite his continual efforts to scare them away. He now takes the remnants of the food
with his fingers and rubs the strap wherever can reach it. Then he lies still. After a little
while, the rats come swarming up all over his body and begin to gnaw at the strap
wherever it has been smeared with food. Soon he feels it loosen. Just as the blade begins
to cut through his clothing, he shoos away the rats and carefully slides sideways out of the
strap, which has been severed at several points. He is free.

As soon as he escapes the pendulum, it stops and is drawn back up to the ceiling.
Realizing he is being watched, he looks around nervously and notices a change in his cell.
The sulfurous light coming from a fissure at the base of the walls all around the cell now
illuminates the hideous figures painted on the walls. The demon eyes terrify him with their
stares.

Smelling heated iron, he realizes that the metal walls are burning hot and glowing red.
Gasping for breath, he yearns for the coolness of the pit. Realizing that the intent of his
torturers is to force him into the pit, he breaks down and weeps. The heat increases, and
the cell walls make a rumbling sound as they change in shape from a rectangle to a
flattened parallelogram. As the shape of the cell flattens, the searing hot walls force him
toward the pit. He totters on the brink of the pit, screaming in despair. But then he hears
human voices and trumpets, and the walls move away again. Just as he is about to faint
and fall into the pit, General LaSalle catches his arm and saves him. He realizes the
French army has defeated the Inquisition and captured Toledo.

Characters
Narrator
No matter how hard he tries to use his mental faculties to assess his situation and avoid
his tortures, the narrator is outmaneuvered by his tormentors and reduced to a state of
near madness. At first terrified of being prematurely buried, the narrator is frustrated in his
attempts to explore his prison. His terror increases as the threat of the pit gives way to that
of the pendulum, to the point that he becomes nearly mentally unhinged. He finally
manages to affect an escape from the pendulum, only to be confronted with another
inescapable terror.
Inquisitorial agents

These are shadowy figures the narrator doesn't clearly see, but who carry him into his
prison, give him food and drink, and prepare his torture.
Judges

At the beginning of the story, the black-robed judges, who are officials of the Inquisition,
pronounce the narrator's sentence of death.
General LaSalle

LaSalle is the Napoleonic general who rushes in to rescue the narrator just as he is about
to fall into the pit at the end of the story.

Setting
Time Period
'The Pit and the Pendulum' is set in a prison cell in Toledo, Spain, during the Spanish
Inquisition. The Inquisition was the systemic effort of the Vatican and the governments of
Portugal and Spain to uncover and eradicate Judaism, Protestant Christianity, and other
non-Catholic faiths by punishing real or suspected heretics. In Spain, this took place from
1478 to 1834.
Because the General Lasalle mentioned at the end of the story was a historical figure who
died in 1809, we know that 'The Pit and the Pendulum' takes place in 1808, when the
Inquisition was stopped for the first time (it took two more attempts and twenty-six more
years before it was permanently ended).

The Cell
The setting featured most prominently in the narrative is, of course, the prison cell in which
the narrator spends the entire plot. At first, he thinks the cell walls are 'of stone masonry'
with 'many angles' and are fifty yards in perimeter. Later, he perceives the shape of the
room to be square with walls made of metal plates, only twenty-five yards in perimeter.
There's a deep circular pit in the center of the stone floor, and the entire cell is extremely
dark, but not quite pitch-black. Its walls are painted with figures of demons, skeletons, and
other 'hideous' images. Much like the trash compactor in Star Wars Episode Four: A New
Hope, the cell walls are also engineered to close inward. This forces the narrator toward
the pit, which he discovers near the end of the narrative.
On the ceiling of the cell is a painted figure of Time, except that instead of a painted
scythe, he holds a real, heavy pendulum ending in a sharp, foot-long steel crescent. As the
terrified narrator watches, it not only swings back and forth, but slowly descends closer
and closer to his body, which at one point is strapped to a low wooden frame. He is
positioned at right angles to the pendulum and realizes it will eventually cut him in two.
Special devices

Suspense. What is known by the narrator as he describes his experience is dark and
frightening, and what he does not know further heightens the intensity of the plot
development. In the "prison" in which they place him, the dark allows him to feel
somethings but other details remain, literally, in the dark as he cannot see.

Another device is imagery. In describing the "lips of the black-robed judges," he describes
them as white, "whiter than the sheet upon which I trace these words--and thin even to
grotesqueness; thin with the intensity of their expression of firmness..."

Another literary device is the use of metaphors. "My vision fell upon the seven tall
candles...seemed white slender angels who would save me...the angel forms became
meaningless spectres..."

Foreshadowing occurs with the repeated references to motion and movement: "there
came back to my soul motion and sound--the tumultuous motion of the heart...again
sound, and motion...and a successful effort to move." This foreshadows the motion of the
pendulum. "I saw it in motion..."
Hyperbole (exaggeration): "Could I have broken the fastenings above the elbow, I would
have seized and attempted to arrest the pendulum. I might as well have attempted to
arrest an avalanche!"

Repetition is used describing first the figures that carried him down into the dungeons:
"down--down--still down...," and later describing the relentless movement of the pendulum
toward the narrator "Down...Down...Down." And again, "THE PIT...THE PIT."

Symbols

Cell
The first source of terror the narrator is introduced to is the cell itself, which symbolizes the
incomprehensible and at times threatening world into which humankind is placed. Unable
to see, the narrator cannot ascertain where he is, and as he fears he has been buried
alive—a common fear in the Victorian era—the cell comes to symbolize a tomb. His
exploration of the cell reveals treacherous, slimy surfaces comprising an irregular,
incomprehensible shape. At the end of the story, the cell once again becomes the ultimate
source of terror when its walls change shape, become glowing hot, and literally close in on
him, relentlessly driving him toward an unknowable fate in the pit. Despite the narrator's
meticulous attempts to ascertain the reality in which he has found himself, he is
unsuccessful because the world is unknowable through the tools of consciousness.

Pendulum

The most obvious symbol is that of the pendulum. It descends from an image of Father
Time—himself an age-old symbol of the passage of time—who usually carries a scythe, a
symbol of harvest and therefore of the end of the cycle of growth in the life of a plant. In
this context Father Time brings to mind his ghoulish doppelgänger, the Grim Reaper, who
wields his scythe to harvest human life. In "The Pit and the Pendulum" it is a literal scythe
that slowly descends toward the body of the narrator, bringing his death closer and closer
with every swing of the pendulum.

Pit
The pit is a symbol of suffering and, even more clearly, of death. Before he entered this
cell, the narrator had heard rumors of the pit as the ultimate, most horrifying torture
inflicted on victims of the Inquisition. At one point he actually calls it a symbol of hell. This
is not only because it threatens destruction, but also because its true nature and what
might happen once one falls into it is unknowable. Even after he accidentally saves himself
from it by stumbling before he reaches it, the pit becomes an enduring source of terror, at
times beckoning him toward a self-destruction he cannot commit. Even at his most
hopeless and desperate, the narrator refuses to throw himself into the pit, knowing that
such a death would not be instant but slow and agonizing. At the end it is when he is
tottering on the edge of the pit that he screams his final scream of despair and defeat.

But the pit also symbolizes the unknowable nature of the unconscious mind. Throughout
the story, just as the narrator struggles to understand the location and nature of the pit, he
also struggles to know what is real and what is imagined and even to know the difference
between waking and dreaming.