A PSYCHOANALYTIC OF RODERICK’S USHER MENTAL DETERIORATION

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the mental deterioration of the character Roderick in Edgar Allan Poe’s 
short story The Fall of the House of Usher using Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory. This 
character is depicted as experiencing mental deterioration, characterized by irrational fear, 
excessive anxiety, emotional instability, and difficulty distinguishing between reality and 
imagination. This study aims to analyze Roderick’s mental deterioration based on Sigmund 
Freud’s psychoanalytic theory, which encompasses the id, ego, and superego. The study employs 
a qualitative descriptive method using content analysis. The data source is the short story The Fall 
of the House of Usher, while the data consist of words, phrases, and sentences that depict the main 
character’s psychological condition. The results indicate that Roderick’s mental deterioration is 
caused by an imbalance between the id, ego, and superego. The dominance of the id is evident 
through the emergence of irrational fears and anxieties, while the ego fails to fulfill its function as 
a mediator between unconscious drives and reality. On the other hand, the superego intensifies the 
inner conflict through feelings of guilt and moral pressure, which further worsen his psychological 
condition. The interaction of these three aspects of personality causes Roderick to lose his mental 
stability, ultimately leading to psychological collapse by the end of the short story. Therefore, this study demonstrates that Freud’s psychoanalytic theory provides a comprehensive understanding 
of the personality conflict that is the primary cause of Roderick’s mental decline in the short story 
The Fall of the House of Usher