From the very first paragraph, the climate surrounding the “House of Usher” does a spectacular job of creating a dark and gloomy atmosphere. Poe also goes into detail about the history of the Usher family, which alludes to inbreeding. This practice makes both Usher twins ill, leading to their death. In addition to this, the author uses a crack in the mansion to symbolize what inbreeding does to the family. It initially weakens the family with a small crack, but at the end of the story, the crack causes the entire house to collapse, coinciding with the collapse of the Usher name. Finally, Roderick Usher is characterized by his fearful behavior. In fact, he is so ruined by his anxiety, that he rightly predicts that it will kill him. Poe's remarkable attention to detail is evident in all three of these points. The use of setting to promote the atmosphere of a story was probably less common in the 1800s than it is today. Additionally, his ability to develop characters in a narrative is still a talent we don't see much of today. Ultimately, “The Fall of the House of Usher” is a wonderful piece of Gothic literature that captures Edgar Allan Poe in his