What Moves the Dead

Compare and contrast What Moves the Dead with Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher.” What elements of Poe’s story does T. Kingfisher retain, and what elements make What Moves the Dead different from its parent text? Consider the author’s implicit critique of social elements in your response.

Examine the use of personification and anthropomorphism in What Moves the Dead. Which elements of the text are humanized? How does this stylistic choice impact the tone, meaning, and plot of the story?

Analyze James Denton’s characterization. How does he know the Ushers, and why does he stay with the Ushers even though he knows that he cannot help Madeline? Explain the moral implications of his decision to help Roderick kill Madeline when the true nature of her malady is discovered.