 Think about your interpretation(s) of each story

“The House of Usher” means both the family, and their home. Thus the term “fall” used in the
story’s title tells us that both the house and the family will meet their end in the course of the tale.

During the course of the tale we find out that Roderick Usher and the Lady Madeline are twins, so
from a psychological view, the twins represent two aspects of one personality. The fact that Lady
Madeline dies makes Roderick Usher more insane. He said that he heard sounds coming from her
grave so he feels like his sister is trying to make him come with her, in the afterlife. The fall of the
house in the end means the end of the Ushers family.

I believe that the second story is about finding love. The male character falls in love with the Arantxa,
the female character. I believe that he falls in love with the idea that she could save him from his grief. I
would say that the story tells that most of us fall in love with the idea of what a person could be and not
the person.

 How does the retelling update the original story? Which one feels more relevant to you, the
original or the retelling?
- The character names is the same
- In the both stories an object is the main character

 Pick a favorite quote from each story (each member should pick their two favorite quotes).

From the Edgar Allan Poe’s story I choose the following quote because the description of the house is
quite detailed and made me think that the house is also a character. Its damaged exterior correspond
with the health and feelings of Rodrick Usher.

From the second story I liked the following quote My fingers …

because it describes the way music affect our mood. Also, I belive that the the female character Arantxa
is the reincarnation of the Hawthorne s wife. When she starts playing the red piano she rediscover her
talent.