Edgar Allen Poe presents a horrible death in his story The Fall of the House of Usher. In this short story, Roderick, a mad man, buries his sick sister while she is still alive though he thinks she is dead. Though this death is unimaginable, the house is set up in a way that allows this and perhaps even encourages such an act. For this reason, if I were to change an aspect of The Fall of The House of Usher, I would change many of the physical properties of the house.
The house is referred too multiple times as dreary and dark. This dreariness and darkness encourages depression, which can cause people to act irrationally. This story should be presented in a newly built house, with no cracks or inconsistencies in the foundation and with light or bright colored walls. This would certainly put a "pep" in Roderick's step and would surely not encourage any time of depression.
Multiple studies show that many physical characteristics of the house in which one lives play a role in the demeanor of those who live within its walls. The cracks of the house suggest that it is old beyond hope and can not be fixed. This hopelessness is passed on to Roderick, who is hopelessly insane. This insanity is perpetuated by the darkness in every corner of every room. When I imagine what the house of Usher would actually look like, I see no need for Windows whatsoever. It seems like even if there was light the house would somehow manage to keep it out.
I would also change the floor plan of the house a bit. I would not include the crypts in the bottom of the house where Madeline was buried. The fact that these are present encourages a death so that they may be used. Without these crypts, there would be no place for Madeline to be buried alive and Roderick therefore would not have done so.
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