In Edgar Allan Poe’s short story, The Fall of the House of Usher, the protagonist is the unnamed narrator who visits his childhood friend, Roderick Usher. The narrator serves as the lens through which we experience the eerie and unsettling atmosphere of the Usher estate, as well as the unraveling of Roderick’s mental state.
On the other hand, the antagonist is more complex. While there is no traditional villain in the story, Roderick Usher himself can be viewed as an antagonist due to his deteriorating mental health and the dark secrets of his family that loom over the plot. Additionally, the house itself can also be seen as an antagonist, symbolizing decay and the oppressive weight of the family’s legacy. These elements create a tension that ultimately drives the story to its chilling conclusion.