Written by Edgar Allan Poe, The Fall of the House of Usher is a short story that was first published in 1839 in Burton’s Gentleman’s Magazine. It is a classic example of a Gothic tale, detailing the final events in the lives of the Usher twins.
The actual action that takes place over the course of the story is limited. However, several details and descriptions build up an atmosphere of uneasy suspense, gloom, and a supernatural quality. It dwells on madness and its connection to family and isolation.
Poe is one of the greatest of American horror writers, illustrating in particular, what the Gothic genre translated into across the Atlantic (the genre has its roots in 17th century Europe). Combining supernatural elements and suspense, his stories attempt to explore the darkest parts of human psychology. Besides The Fall of the House of Usher, his best known works include The Tell-Tale Heart, The Raven, The Cask of Amontillado, and The Masque of the Red Death. His short story The Murders in Rue Morgue is also considered to be one of the earliest iterations of the modern detective story.
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Summary of The Fall of the House of Usher
The story is being recounted by an unnamed narrator. It begins with him traveling on horseback to the eponymous House of Usher to visit his friend Roderick Usher. The two had known each other during their childhood but had lost touch for a long time. Recently though, Roderick had written to the narrator requesting him to visit; Roderick is now suffering from a sort of a mental illness, and he is in need of some form of company.
The narrator is a childhood friend of Roderick Usher, who is now suffering from an illness that appears to run in the family.
The narrator admits that though they once used to be close friends, he doesn’t really know much about Roderick’s family. He only knows that it is an old and distinguished land-owning family. However, the name has been passed down in a single line, as there has only been one heir at a time. Thus, there are no other branches of the family and, due to this, both the family and the family home are now referred to as the “House of Usher.”
Upon his arrival at the house, the narrator is struck by the melancholic and gloomy atmosphere it gives off; this feeling is exacerbated by the stormy weather. He describes it in detail, noting that the mansion appears to be solid and, yet, feels like it is decaying. For instance, he points out that the individual stones and bricks that make it up look like they are crumbling but, on the whole, the building seems to be strong. On a closer examination, the narrator picks out a thin, barely noticeable crack that runs the entire length of the mansion, from top to bottom.
The melancholic and gloomy external appearance of the House of Usher reflects its interior as well as the nature of its inhabitants.
The atmosphere within the house is the same as its outside. It is filled with items that exacerbate the feeling that there is a pall hanging over the house, that it is haunted. When he enters the room Roderick is in, the narrator struggles to see clearly. It has a very high ceiling, and there is very little light. But he can make out several books and musical instruments.
Roderick himself appears very much physically changed—he has grown thinner and paler, his hair is wild, and his manner is disturbingly different. The narrator notes that Roderick is sincerely happy to see him, but the effects of the illness on his psyche are very clear. It fills him with nervous energy at times, while at other times, it pushes him into depression. It appears to be a familial condition. Other symptoms include a decreased appetite; intense sensitivity to light, the scents of certain flowers, and the sound of most musical instruments; accompanied frequently by feelings of terror. It is the last of these that bother Roderick the most.
Roderick has not left the house in a long time and believes that it is exerting an influence on his health, making it worse. At the same time, he attributes his condition to another cause: the long and seemingly incurable illness of his sister, Madeline, who is his only remaining family. While he is talking about her, Madeline herself makes an appearance: she walks into the room without taking any notice of the narrator and, without a word, leaves. He notes that Roderick is upset and weeping.
Roderick‘s sister is unwell as well; she‘s been sick for a long time with a kind of catalepsy and no doctor seems to be able to help her get better.
Nobody knows what has caused her illness and, on the night of the narrator’s arrival, Madeline finally takes to her bed for the first time since it began. The narrator believes that the one time he saw her is also likely the last time while she is alive.
Over the next several days, the narrator attempts to cheer Roderick up. They paint and read together and Roderick plays his “speaking guitar.” However, as he gets to know Roderick better, the narrator begins to realize that his attempts are most likely going to remain completely futile. In all this time, there is no talk about Madeline.
The narrator notes that the art and music Roderick produces are very abstract in nature but convey a sense of wildness and have a supernatural theme. For the narrator, they produce a sense of awe and terror. One of the songs Roderick sings, “The Haunted Palace,” reinforces the idea that the house itself is sentient and remembers his ancestors. According to Roderick, this sentience of the house is the cause of his and his family’s affliction.
Besides anxiety about his sister, Roderick believes that the house itself is a factor in causing his depressive mental state. He thinks that it might have caused the illness in his ancestors as well.
One evening, Roderick informs the reader that Madeline has died and that he intends to entomb her in one of the building’s vaults for a fortnight before burying her. Upon his request, the narrator helps him with this. After laying her in the tomb, the narrator realizes for the first time that Madeline was actually Roderick’s twin.
After this, Roderick’s condition worsens. He gets paler, is more agitated, and wanders around the house endlessly. The narrator too begins to be affected by all this, and his sleep becomes disturbed.
On one such night, Roderick himself comes to the narrator’s room and shows him, through the window, a light that seems to be surrounding the house. A storm is also raging outside. The narrator tells Roderick that the light is probably some sort of natural phenomenon and tries to distract him by reading a story, a medieval romance called “Mad Trist.”
As he reads, the narrator thinks that he is hearing real noises that resemble those described in the story. He tries to ignore them, but they grow more prominent. Meanwhile, Roderick has begun to rock in his seat and is mumbling to himself. He reveals that he’s been hearing these noises for a while now and that Madeline may have been alive when they entombed her. He then cries out that she is coming up the stairs.
At this point, the wind blows open the door, and the narrator sees that Madeline is entering the room. Her clothes are covered in blood, and she has evidently struggled a lot. She falls on her brother and, by the time the two of them hit the floor, they’re both dead.
Horrified, the narrator flees the house, out into the storm. As he runs, he turns and watches as the house splits along the crack he had noticed earlier and crumbles.
Characters in The Fall of the House of Usher
1. The narrator: Throughout the story, the narrator remains unnamed. Not much is known about him other than the fact that he and Roderick Usher are childhood friends. Roderick wrote to him requesting him to visit. Upon finding out that Roderick is sick, the narrator comes to try to help in any way he can.
While sincere in his efforts to try to make things easier for his friend, the narrator remains an outsider. He acts largely as an observer and conveys to the reader what he experiences during his stay with Roderick. He is the only one to survive the fall of the House of Usher.
2. Roderick Usher: He is the last male heir of his family and is also suffering from a family illness. It appears to be a nervous and psychological affliction. It has heavily affected his physical state and, upon sight, he appears to be very obviously suffering from something. He is consumed by terror and is unable to separate supernatural fantasies from reality. Despite the narrator’s best attempts to cheer him up, Roderick remains this way, appearing to have lost his spirits. He is very much preoccupied and troubled by his sister’s illness and deteriorating condition.
3. Madeline Usher: She is Roderick’s twin sister and has been suffering from illness herself for a very long time. Her condition seems to be cataleptic—causing her to remain detached from her surroundings, in a deep trance. Both times she appears in the story, she takes no notice of the narrator. In fact, the first time, she does not interact with anyone at all.
Madeline’s condition seems to be connected to her brother’s. While he is suffering from its mental effects, she is carrying its physical ones.
FAQs
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How is “The Fall of the House of Usher” gothic?
The writings of Gothic literature, as the genre originated in Europe in the 17th century, were inspired by and featured buildings of a certain architectural style (also called Gothic). “The Fall of the House of Usher,” too, features a building that is synonymous with the family it belongs to, and the physical condition of which is believed to be related to the illness that has long afflicted that family. The story can also be classified as a horror story with supernatural elements, similar to other Gothic literature. It also deals with the theme of madness. Thus, “The Fall of the House of the Usher” is considered to be gothic.
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What is “The Fall of the House of Usher” about?
“The Fall of the House of Usher” is about the effects of a type of madness that seems to run in the Usher family and how it ultimately brings about its end.
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When was “The Fall of the House of Usher” written?
“The Fall of the House of Usher” was written and published in 1839.
