The mind-body split, also known as mind-body dualism or mind-body divide was a philosophical idea that became popular in the seventeenth century. The theory asserts that the mind is separate from the body. This meant that literature would usually depict men as representative of mind, while women would be representative of the brain. The gothic story “The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allan Poe is an example of this. By analysing Descartes’ ideas of substance and mind-body dualism as well as the subsequent ideas of interactionism, one can see that Roderick Usher’s characters are representative of the body and mind respectively. They also influence each other accordingly.
The concept of mind-body synchronicity was first proposed by Plato and Aristotle. But, the moderner versions of dualism known as substance synchronicity, which are based more on Rene Descartes Meditations, are much more grounded. Robertson states that there are “two types” of substance. He says that matter has spatially extended properties and that mind thinks. Descartes believed in a human having a physical, tangible body and a contemplative brain. The same goes for mind and matter, which are separate forms of the same substance. They can also function independently. Descartes believed that bodies are machines that follow their own laws. Robison states that matter is independent of any minds and proceeds in its own time, without interference. Descartes stated that the mind as well as the body are independent: the mind is capable of thinking without the aid of the bodies, and the other can work without thought. Descartes’ theory about substance dualism became the theory behind interactionism. Interactionism shares the same principles as substance dualism, but it also posits that “mind and body” (or mental events or physical events) can cause each other to act differently. Interactionism recognizes that mind and body can be distinct entities. However they can also interact and influence each other when needed. Roderick Roderick, Madeline Usher, and Descartes are the characters representing these two aspects. Roderick informs the narrator by writing that he suffered from a “mental disease which oppressed his mind” (Poe 101). The narrator is informed that Roderick has a “poetically mild” nervous disorder and that he had suffered from “a serious acuteness syndrome of the senses” (Poe 101). This means that Roderick reacts adversely to certain scents, sounds textures, smells and tastes. The brain registers the senses and makes sense of them. Roderick has heightened senses, which could indicate a neurological or mental issue. Roderick has a constant fear and vulnerability that leads to heightened senses. The narrator is told by Roderick that he dreads the future events, not just in their own terms, but also in their outcomes. I shudder at any event, no matter how trivial, that could trigger this uncontrollable agitation of my soul. I fear the time when all reason and life will cease to exist, in a struggle with the dark phantasm of FEAR. (Poe 107). Roderick is becoming more paranoid and knows he might soon lose his head. Roderick’s paranoia is a result of mental distress. Fear only makes Roderick feel more anxious. His paranoia and “acuteness in senses” are both unable to be experienced or seen by others, which suggests that his illness is completely mental. Roderick’s disease occupies his mind and not his body so he can be the physical representation of it.
Alternately Madeline is only suffering from a physical illness. According to the narrator, Madeline’s illness had been a mystery for years. A settled apathy with gradual wasting away, frequent but temporary affections of a partially-cataleptical disposition, were her unusual diagnosis” (Poe 110). Madeline is also diagnosed as having a “malady that is strictly cataleptical.” (Poe 112. To find out the precise nature of Madeline’s illness, we must examine the term “cataleptical.” Peter Wolf believes that “epilepsy, catalepsy, and both were not easily distinguished in the minds” (288). This definition suggests that Madeline had frequent seizures. Convulsions, in which the sufferer shakes or jerks uncontrollably, are the most obvious sign of seizures. As they are visible and can be felt by others, convulsions are a sign of a bodily symptom. Madeline’s “gradual loss of personality” and tendencies to seizures support the idea that Madeline has a disease entirely within her body. Roderick is the mind.
Roderick & Madeline are the mind & body. Roderick is seen as an example for substance dualism. Roderick after Madeline’s death introduces interactivity. Roderick changes dramatically almost immediately after Madeline’s funeral. His normal manner was gone. His usual occupations were forgotten or neglected. He wandered aimlessly from one chamber into the next, his steps unrestrained and hurried. His countenance took on a darker hue, but his eyes were still bright. His tone had lost its occasional huskiness, and his voice was filled with a tremulous, almost terrifying, quaver. Roderick literally goes insane. The mind begins to think in the same way as Roderick when the body is locked up and in decaying tombs. His “nervous disorder” continues to worsen and is evident in his actions as well as his appearance. Roderick starts to lose his mental faculties over time. The story’s final pages show Roderick and the narrator hearing grating, screaming sounds. He had his head on Roderick’s breast, but I could tell that he wasn’t asleep from the large and rigid opening in his eye. His motion was also out of sync with the idea. He rocked gently from side-to-side with a constant and uniform sway. The reader and the narrator can see that Roderick is completely out of touch with reality at this point. Each of the mind and body are both slowly dying and each other is being influenced. Roderick was paranoid and he entrapped Madeline. This is a case of the mind influencing body. Roderick became mad because Madeline is fighting for her life, which is an example the body can influence the mind.
You can easily see the similarities between Roderick, Madeline Usher, the mind and body and determine how they interact. Although the mind and body exist independently, they can interact with one another when necessary. Roderick & Madeline are two examples of this. The power-struggle ends in both mind and body being destroyed, ultimately leading to the fall and the Usher’s name.
