Wednesday, May 13, 2020

Analysis Of Bipolar Disorder In The Fall Of The House Of...

Many people today as well as during the 1800s, have suffered from psychological disorders including bipolar disorder. Edgar Allan Poe was one of many who were diagnosed with this disorder, and it is prevalent in many of his works. The Fall of the House of Usher by Poe clearly depicts the symptoms of bipolar disorder, and he translates his feelings on the topic as well. Through the use of Roderick Usher and his sister, Madeline, Poe depicts the transference of bipolar disorder within a family, and more specifically with twins. Deciphering a story centered around a psychological disorder challenges interpreters to have a significant understanding of that disorder as well. Bipolar disorder is a â€Å"brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in†¦show more content†¦Many studies of bipolar patients and their relatives have shown that bipolar disorder sometimes runs in families. The studies conducted on twins is perhaps some of the most startling information. Farlet explained â€Å"that if one identical twin has bipolar disorder, the other twin has a greater chance of developing bipolar disorder than another sibling in the family. Researchers conclude that the lifetime chance of an identical twin (of a bipolar twin) to also develop bipolar disorder is about 40% to 70%†(Farlet 27). The Fall of the House of Usher opens with a description of the landscape that serves as foreshadowing to the deteriorating state, both mentally and physically, of Roderick Usher. The story opens and readers are first exposed to a description of the house: a dull grey, a color oftentimes utilized to set depressing mood. The physical landscape appears to be diseased and decaying as the narrator looks â€Å"upon the bleak walls—upon the vacant eye-like windows— upon a few rank sedges—and upon a few white trunks of decayed trees—with an utter depression of soul† (Poe 3). This description juxtaposes with the mental state that the narrator finds Roderick in. The narrator goes on to comment about how the scenery provided â€Å"an iciness, a sinking, a sickening of the heart†(Poe 3). This is the beginning of a depressive episode in the narrator that most readers might overlook. The dreariness and decaying state of The House of Usher, a home he

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