Poe’s use of characterization helps the reader understand the toll that Madeline’s “death” has on everything. In “The Fall of the House of Usher”, Poe uses first person point of view, elevated diction,and characterization methods to affect the readers understanding of the story. The use of first person point of view gives the reader the narrator’s personal view of the story. The use of formal diction aids in the characterization of the characters in the story. Describing the mansion as “dull” and “vacant” not only describes what the mansion looks like, but what sick old Roderick looks like. As the house is deteriorating, so is everyone else living inside