E. A. Poe Society of Baltimore

E. A. Poe Society of Baltimore: "The narrator's comparison of Roderick's state to that of 'the irreclaimable eater of opium, during the periods of his most intense excitement' (III, 279) is, in fact, a positive indication according to Poe's ideas about the 'ultimate' existence. Usher's state resembles the mesmeric trance which Poe describes in 'Mesmeric Revelation,' and which, he says, '. . . resembles the ultimate life; for when I am entranced the senses of my rudimental life are in abeyance, and I perceive external things directly, without organs. . .' (V, 250). Roderick's heightened sensitivity seems to suggest how closely he is approaching his metamorphosis."