In The Fall of the House of Usher, the storyteller visits a mansion, which belongs to his sick friend, Roderick Usher. The house is creepy and the narrator feels depressed upon arrival (Poe, 2003). Usher is hypersensitivity to tactile sensations, sound, light, and taste, he needed the writer’s company during the recuperation period. According to the author, Roderick’s appearance had changed significantly from their childhood days. It seems the castle was draining his spirit negatively, he was gaunt, withdrawn, wisp haired, and pale.
Roderick informs the narrator that his condition has been caused by an inherited genetic condition. He admits his fear of going insane and later dying due to the derailing effects of the bewitched house. In addition, Usher hints that his sister Madeline is also suffering from a rare disease, which has never been diagnosed. In the evening, the sister was pronounced dead by the Roderick and they entombed her in the mansion’s vault.
Roderick’s hobbies are reading, writing, and painting, however, after Madeline’s death, he stops undertaking these activities. Although the narrator entertains Usher through music, literature, and arts, the atmosphere remains gloomy and they both slip into lunacy. Nevertheless, Roderick’s mental state continues deteriorating rapidly (Poe, 2003). On one stormy and dark night, the two friends could not sleep, so they choose to read a book to pass time.
As the narrator recites loudly, fictional noises resound from the mansion’s underground. This phenomenon freaks out Roderick who jumps up and proclaims that his sister was buried alive. Suddenly, the doors fling open, Madeline appears from the grave, grabs Usher and they both die amidst agony. The storyteller then runs out of the house, from where he witnesses the house of Usher cracking into two before sinking.
Reference
Poe, E. A. (2003). The fall of the house of Usher and other writings. Penguin Books.