The narrator in Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ is primarily a static character. Throughout the story, he maintains a consistent perspective and demeanor, without undergoing significant personal change or development.
At the beginning, the narrator arrives at the Usher mansion with a sense of anxiety and intrigue about his childhood friend, Roderick Usher. As the plot unfolds, he experiences a range of unsettling emotions, but his fundamental outlook remains largely unchanged. He does not learn or grow from the haunting experiences he witnesses, nor does he adopt a new perspective on life or relationships.
This static nature serves to emphasize the themes of fear and decay that permeate the story. The narrator’s fixed viewpoint allows readers to witness the decline of the Usher family and the dread that surrounds the mansion without a contrasting change in his character. His role is more of an observer, caught in the eerie atmosphere, rather than a participant who evolves through the narrative. In contrast, Roderick Usher is a dynamic character, as he goes through tumultuous changes that reflect his deteriorating mental state.