What Moves the Dead

“The house of Usher had dozens of eyes, so either it was a great many faces lined up together or it was the face of some creature belonging to a different order of life—a spider, perhaps, with rows of eyes along its head.”

Alex describes the house as ominous and almost alien, comparing the windows in the house to arachnid eyes. The novella thus mirrors the Gothic style of “The Fall of the House of Usher,” by Edgar Allan Poe. Gothic fiction is known for incorporating ominous, grotesque settings and quasi-supernatural elements. By personifying the house and portraying the windows as eyes, Kingfisher also suggests that the house is alive, indirectly developing the theme of Mycology and the Possibility of Intelligent Fungi. The description of the house implies that it has been taken over by fungi and is therefore alive in that sense.

“Her lips were tinged violet, like a drowning woman’s. I told myself it was some poorly chosen cosmetic, and then she stretched out a hand like a bird’s claw to me, and I saw that her fingernails were the same deep cyanotic violet.”

This description of Madeline’s appearance foreshadows revelations that occur later in the text. Before Madeline falls ill, she drowns in the fungi-infested tarn, a nearby mountain lake. Here, the revelation of this fact is foreshadowed by the direct comparison of Madeline’s lips to those of a “drowning woman.” Both Madeline’s lips and fingernails are cyanotic, which demonstrates that the coloration is not a coincidence. Ultimately, the cyanosis foreshadows the fact that Madeline is already deceased and has been rendered an automaton under the sentient fungus’s control.

“Hysteria is like consumption used to be. Something wrong with you that we can’t seem to fix? It’s probably consumption. Now Koch has isolated the bacillus responsible for tuberculosis and we don’t have that to lean on any longer, so we have to admit that there are people dying of something that isn’t tuberculosis.”

In this passage, Denton’s remark contains multiple literary devices, employing allusions to the real-world microbiologist Robert Koch and to the Industrial Revolution during which medical science advanced. The quote also uses scornful satire to criticize medical science in the 1800s, during which time women were often diagnosed with “hysteria,” a vague and sexist diagnosis that was used to discredit and dismiss women’s authentic experiences and medical complaints.

“I assume a witch would have seen a man before, so I don’t know if that goes to support your theory.”

This passage juxtaposes Easton’s beliefs with Angus’s. Angus believes the rumors that the Usher property is haunted while Easton takes a more logical approach and finds logical fallacies in Angus’s claims. Easton’s skeptical outlook also contrasts with Angus’s superstitions and spiritual convictions. This juxtaposition adds tension to the plot and raises the implicit question of whether the house of Usher is impacted by natural or supernatural forces.

“Horses don’t understand a lot about the world, but I have found that they sometimes understand particular humans terrifyingly well. Mules understand a lot more about the world, but less about humans—or possibly they just don’t care what humans think.”

Anthropomorphism, which is defined as portraying a non-human element using human characteristics, is one of the most prominent literary devices in What Moves the Dead. The anthropomorphism of horses, particularly of Hob, demonstrates Easton’s close attachment to animals. This mindset reflects a more modern perspective of companion animals and highlights the increasing valuation of animal rights.

“It’s less galling to be mistaken for a man than a woman, for some reason. Probably because no one tries to kiss your hand or bar you from the Royal Mycology Society.”

Easton’s gender is nonbinary, but ka prefers to be mistaken for a man because women are sexualized and oppressed by the culture. In addition to expressing a sense of solidarity with Miss Potter, Easton’s statement is satirical and reflects the author’s intention to criticize real-world sexism. Thus, the passage stands as a prime example of The Reinterpretation of Classic Literature.

“It was descending the stairs when I finally caught up to it and could make out features beyond ghostly whiteness. White hair, flowing white cloth, skin so pale it was almost transparent…”

Madeline’s pallor, clothes, and general appearance are repeatedly described using the word “white.” The unnatural degree of whiteness is intended to foreshadow the later realization that the sentient fungus has fully invaded Madeline’s body and has begun to permanently alter her appearance as it grows and feeds on her. The fungus, in its own form, appears cotton-like and slimy.

“The faint flicker was a sequence, not merely the motion of the water. A dot would brighten and then fade, and then the one next to it would do the same, giving the appearance of a light jumping along a track.”

Easton’s description of the lights in the tarn creates a vivid mental picture of the ominous tarn’s increasing activity. The description also alludes to the intelligence of the fungus, for the patterned sequence of the lights suggests intentionality, and the narrative contains the implicit suggestion that this is in fact a form of communication.

“I hoped like hell that the beef had been having some effect, even if the cook had to use mortar fire to tenderize the beast.”

Kingfisher incorporates allusions to medical science in order to emphasize the novella’s status as a work of science fiction and to enhance the realism of the story, as anemia and its correlation to iron deficiency was discovered in the mid-1800s. Other allusions to 1800s medical science include an earlier discussion of hysteria and the historical reference to microbiologist Robert Koch.

“The war is the backdrop to most of my dreams.”

Easton, Roderick, and Denton are all war veterans. In this passage, Easton reflects on personal experiences with war-related dreams after listening to Denton describe his own dream about severed limbs. Their dreams and remarks about the war reflect the trauma that they have experienced, and Kingfisher uses these interactions to introduce a secondary theme about the ugliness and long-term consequences of war.

“Don’t tempt me, Easton. I already know where I’d put the match.”

Roderick’s sarcastic remark is another example of foreshadowing that hints to the conclusion, in which Roderick burns down the Usher house in a desperate attempt to kill the sentient fungus. The concept of fire also encapsulates the image of purification, contrasting sharply with the festering moisture in the house and the thick, fungus-laden water in the tarn.

“I hate how the tinnitus seems to drown out my thoughts as well, so that I feel as if I’m shouting inside my own skull.”

Easton has chronic tinnitus, or ringing in the ears, ever since a gun went off under kan pillow. Easton’s tinnitus flares up multiple times in the novella, becoming a motif for the sudden onset of confusion. The bouts of tinnitus force Easton to stop what ka is doing, and the ringing makes it difficult for ka to think clearly at all. Such instances are often paired with external situations that are equally confounding, as when Easton encounters the fungus-infested hares.

“But death is when you are allowed to ask foolish questions and to say all the unforgivable things that will be immediately forgiven.”

This remark is intended to comment on the shock that often accompanies grief. It also implies that people should not be judged for how they process grief. Easton understands that it is silly to ask two war veterans, one of whom was a doctor in the war, if someone is truly dead. However, this remark also becomes ironic when the fungus reanimates Madeline’s body and when Easton learns that Madeline has in fact been deceased for months.

“Part of me wanted to abandon this fool quest. Why was I here? Why was I skulking around Roderick’s manor like a thief, disturbing his sister’s rest? I was an old friend, yes, but I was violating all laws of hospitality and friendship. It was not my place.”

Easton’s guilty curiosity and resulting rhetorical questions suggest that humans are naturally curious and underscore the difficulty of ignoring strong curiosity, even when indulging in it is considered socially inappropriate. The remark also adds tension by emphasizing that Easton’s actions violate an unspoken taboo.

“It is very unpleasant to sit down to a meal when you are trying to determine which one of your breakfast companions is a murderer.”

Easton narrates kan experience at breakfast using a form of dark humor that paradoxically lightens the tone, making the narrative more dynamic and engaging and preventing the text from becoming oppressively dark and cumbersome. At frequent intervals, the characters often engage in such self-deprecating comments in order to enforce an element of normalcy on a situation that accelerates beyond their control or full understanding.

“Fungi. Of course. The mold that coated the wallpaper and crept into the library books, the mushrooms that hunched themselves up from the earth, the affliction of Angus’s fish.”

Easton’s epiphany that Madeline died from a fungal infection represents a crucial turning point in the novella. Before this moment, the mysterious events afflicting the Ushers are shrouded in ambiguity. However, after having this realization, Easton begins to make a series of discoveries that allow kan to unravel the mystery. The author thus implies that key elements of the setting—the condition of the home, the prevalence of mushrooms, and the diseased fish—are all designed to foreshadow this revelation.

“The red stuff looked almost like the seaweed you see dried along the rocks of the coast, forming a sticky membrane over everything.”

Easton uses vivid sensory descriptions to describe the fungus growing inside the hare. Ka compares it to seaweed, creating an easily relatable image, and the protagonist’s description of the fungus as “a sticky membrane” is an example of sensory language that is designed to evoke memories of similar tactile experiences. The grotesque sensory language enhances the dark tones of the story and suggests the omnipresence of the fungus.

“There were three veterans at that table, battle-scarred soldiers who had served their countries honorably and in more than one war…and all three of us screamed like small children and recoiled in horror.”

The description of Easton, Denton, and Angus’s reaction to the hare’s sudden movements during the autopsy employs intentional irony to craft a tone of humor. The author thus plays with the expectation that three veterans of war would remain stoic in the face of an unexpected horror, but when the sight of the moving hare makes them all scream, the absurdity of such a moment leavens the abject terror that the characters feel upon witnessing the reanimated flesh.

“It sent up a puff of dust and probably mold spores, but really, what was one more set at this point?”

This remark suggests that Easton is losing hope and is wearily resigned to the fact that ka has quite possibly been infected by the invasive fungus. Ka and Denton assume that the house of Usher obtains its water from the tarn, which they know to be contaminated by the deadly fungus. Easton’s fatalistic tone conveys the idea that if they are already sick, there is no point in taking preventative measures. The uncertainty over the characters’ own health also contributes to the sense of mystery and rising tension.

“We did not run. If we ran then we would have to admit there was something to run from. If we ran, then the small child that lives in every soldier’s heart knew that the monsters could get us. So we did not run, but it was a near thing.”

Easton imparts a fearful tone by discussing the active suppression of fear. This stylistic choice on the part of the author is designed to evoke the common human experience of ignoring childhood fears that yet lurk in the hearts of adults. The effort to overcome fear by suppressing or denying it is also a common reaction, and the remark incorporates the juxtaposition between soldiers and children in order to emphasize the universal concept of emotional and physical vulnerability.

“When you think about it, we talk by coughing up air and wiggling our lips through it. How could anyone ever understand that, if you weren’t born to it?”

Madeline’s remark contains a combination of tones. Her oddly literal description of the process of forming speech also imbues it with a sense of the uncanny by taking an ordinary activity and rendering it strange and grotesque. This approach enhances the dark tones of horror that run through the story, but when she questions how a different life form can comprehend human speech, Madeline uses empathetic tones. Her compassion for the fungus, combined with her deliberate use of the va/van pronouns reserved for children, proves that Madeline cares for the tarn on a deep emotional level.

“Evil, Roderick had said. But it wasn’t evil that I was seeing here, it was alien, a monstrous alienness so far removed from what I understood that every fiber of my being screamed to reject it, to run, to get away.”

Easton’s realization that the fungus from the tarn is alien rather than evil does not serve to eliminate kan horror at the entity that threatens the group. This comment highlights the theme of Mycology and the Possibility of Intelligent Fungi by relating the enduring human urge to reject that which is not fully understood—that which is inexpressibly “other.” The sentient fungus is too different for Easton to feel any sense of empathy, and the instinctive reaction is to destroy it instead of learning about it or communicating with it.

“It could move people around. It was learning to talk. Suppose it got better at it. Good enough that no one gave it a second thought. Suppose it spread.”

Denton’s concerns leave the story open-ended, introducing the idea that the fungus from the tarn has already found a new host or hosts. If this fear is justified, the group’s efforts to kill the fungus will have been rendered ineffective, and the fate of humanity is yet unresolved. Such open-ended conclusions are designed to encourage readers to continue engaging with the story’s possibilities long after reading the last page.