221; The narrator finds it difficult to connect Roderick’s expressions “...with any idea of simple humanity.” He seemingly became vacant and empty of capturing basic emotional jesters. He slowly is losing his physical and emotional characteristics and becoming a shell of a man.Roderick sings the history of “The Haunted Palace.” The first verse describes the house equated to the monarch’s thoughts. “Radiant palace-reared its head. In the monarch Thoughts dominion-”. This is similar to Roderick’s relationship with his house. The song continues to tell of prosperous times by describing how “wanderers in the happy valley Through two luminous windows saw Spirits moving musically To a lute’s well-tuned law.” This also correlates the windows to the eyes of the house. The fifth verse tells of the downfall of the monarch. “(Ah, let us mourn, for never morrow Shall dawn upon him, desolate!)”. Since the demise of the monarch the house has fallen into decay. Now, travelers who look through the “...red-litten windows see Vast forms that move fantastically To a discordant melody;”. The house has become a victim to evil things and become emotionally vacant.The connection between the house and the family is peculiarly intimate. One can trace the rise and fall of the family though the condition of the estate, and alternatively the condition of the house through the rise and fall of the family. It may seem natural for the psychological and physical decay of the Ushers to result in the necessary neglect and decline of the estate. The connection surpasses this more material level. The house seems to be spiritually united to the family. Therefore, the sins of the family are visited on the house. ...
