Comparison of Fall of the House of Usher and Vertigo essays

Comparison of Fall of the House of Usher and Vertigo essays Both Hitchcock's Madeleine in Vertigo, and Poe's Madeline in "Fall of the House of Usher,"" appear to return from the dead after suffering from an unknown illness. They each fall in love and after returning from the dead only to die once again. They are also similar in that they each wandered aimlessly not knowing where they were going in a very strange and creepy way. Hitchcock's Madeleine seems to be suffering from an unknown illness that leaves her practically unconscious of where she had been or what she had done. Gavin Elster, Madeleine's husband, recollects Madeleine as having blank expressions on her face, roaming aimlessly and not acknowledging anything. She seems to be emotionally and mentally sick. Poe's Madeline appears to not be as severely mentally sick but she is more physically sick. In Vertigo Madeleine rushes up a many flights of stairs to the top of what looks to be a church. Scotty attempts to prevent Madeleine from reaching the top of the building but is unsuccessful. Upon reaching the top, Madeleine hurls herself toward the ground and dies. After Madeleine's death, Scotty wanders the streets only thinking about his love. He notices a lady that looks very similar to her and indeed finds out in the end that it is Madeleine. After figuring the whole evil scheme of Madeleine they return to the same spot where Madeleine killed herself the first time and after being startled by a nun she falls of the building and kills herself a second time. The Madeline in "Fall of the House of Usher" returns from the dead as well. She dies from the unknown illness that had been troubling her for quite a long time. After her death Usher puts her body in a tomb in the basement. Usher explains, "I heard her first feeble movement in the hollow coffin. I heard them-many, many da ys ago-yet I dared notI dared not speak! We have put her living in the tomb!"(Poe 205) ...