Plot Summary
"The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe is a tale that begins with an unnamed narrator receiving a letter from his friend, Roderick Usher. The letter reveals that Roderick is unwell and requests the narrator's presence. Concerned, the narrator travels to the Usher mansion.
Upon arriving, the narrator observes the eerie and dilapidated state of the mansion. The Usher family, once esteemed, is now on the verge of collapse. The house itself is described as having a crack, symbolizing the family's deterioration. The narrator is greeted by Roderick, who is visibly disturbed and reveals that he suffers from acute sensitivity to his surroundings.
The narrator is sympathetic to his friend’s woes and promises to stay by his side and make him well. He is informed that Roderick's twin sister, Madeline, also resides in the mansion. She is ailing from a peculiar disease that seems to have baffled physicians and appears to be in a death-like state. The narrator also learns that the siblings share a peculiar connection.
As the story progresses, the atmosphere within the mansion becomes increasingly tense. The narrator witnesses strange occurrences and experiences a growing sense of unease. Madeline's condition worsens, and Roderick becomes more agitated.
The story takes a dark turn when Madeline seemingly dies. Roderick is worried that doctors may want to take her body for research (since she was suffering from a unique form of ailment) and begs the narrator to help him entomb Madeline’s body in the family mausoleum. During the entombment, the narrator realizes that Madeline and Roderick are twins, which adds to the eerie mystery. He also notices a faint rosy hue on the dead girl’s cheeks, but pushes the thought aside.
Roderick's mental state deteriorates rapidly after Madeline's entombment. He is plagued by the thought of having buried her alive. One stormy night, the narrator and Roderick are reading a story to distract themselves. The tale mirrors their own circumstances, creating a surreal and unsettling atmosphere. As the narrator reads about Ethelred and his dragon-slaying exploits, they hear sounds that seem to echo the events of the story.
Suddenly, Madeline, shrouded in burial garments bloodied from her escape, stands before them. She falls upon her brother, and they both collapse to the floor. The narrator, in shock, flees the room. As he reaches the exterior of the mansion, he turns back to witness the house collapsing into the tarn, a small lake, with an otherworldly glow.
The next day, the narrator learns from a servant that both Roderick and Madeline have perished. The Usher family is extinct, and the mansion lies in ruins. The tale concludes with a note suggesting that the narrator had heightened sensitivity and heard the sounds of the collapse even before it happened.
