The Fall of the House of Usher

"I looked upon the scene before me - upon the mere house, and the simple landscape features of the domain  -  upon the bleak walls - upon the vacant eye - like windows - upon a few rank sedges - and upon the vacant eye-like windows - upon a few white trunks of decayed trees - with an utter depression of soul which I can compare to no earthly sensation more properly than to the after-dream of the reveller upon opium - the bitter lapse into every-day life - the hideous dropping off of the veil." - The Fall of the House of Usher

This quotation, found when the protagonist first arrives at the House of Usher, is incredibly significant to both the theme and the plot of the short story. Firstly, the atmosphere described establishes a gloomy mood which is apparent throughout the course of the story. By referring to the trees having "an utter depression of soul", it creates a sense of dread which both captivates the reader and encourages further reading. This connects with the plot because when the narrator goes on to explain the setting's mysterious power being out of his depth, it foreshadows the supernatural events which occur later on.