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The Fall of the House of Usher begins with the narrator visiting his childhood friend, Roderick Usher, in his mansion, after receiving an urgent call from him. The narrator is struck with feelings of insufferable gloom, ghastly terror, and oppression of spirit as he sojourns there to give company and solace to his old friend, who had been struck with a mental illness. While staying at the house, Roderick explains his illness to the narrator, and also tells of another rare fatal illness that plagues Roderick's sister, Madeline. The narrator stays for a while, playing music, looking at art, and otherwise keeping Roderick's company, until Madeline dies. Roderick buries her in a vault within the home. Feelings of unrest culminate in the narrator after this untimely death, which peak about a week after the burial, when the narrator could not find sleep. Roderick, wild with excitement, storms in to show the narrator the otherworldly light that was emanating from the clouds above. To calm Roderick, the narrator reads a story to him. While reading, the narrator is interrupted by strange sounds that perfectly match the descriptions found within the story. Roderick, shuddering, hears these, too, and proclaims that they are the sounds of Madeline escaping the grave in which she was placed alive. The door bursts open, and Madeline, bloodied and weak, falls upon Roderick, killing him, as the narrator flees the House of Usher, which breaks apart and is engulfed by the surrounding lake, leaving nothing behind.

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Narrator: friend of Roderick, susceptible to superstition.

Roderick Usher: only male descendant of the House of Usher, which is known for being a patron of art and music, as well as philanthropy. He is mentally ill, and has sensory and psychological symptoms.

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Man vs. Man: Roderick's mental illness creates an internal conflict as his paranoia grows.

Man vs. Nature: Both Roderick and Madeline are destined to die early deaths, and the narrator has come to help them both.

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Fear
Madness
Transcience
Family
Isolation

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My favorite scene was the climax of the story, where Madeline, now found to be alive, crashes through the door and falls upon Roderick and unwitting player in her death. Irony is extensive, as the brother who cared for her inadvertently became her torturer, and then died at her hands.

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The Fall of the House of Usher deals with a mentally ill heir to an isolated family. His friend journeys there to comfort him, and witnesses the eerie and supernatural collapse of an old and mysterious dynasty, the House of Usher.

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Born: 01/19/1809 in Boston, MA
- Orphaned by the age of 3
- Raised by John and Frances Allen
- Sent to prestigious boarding schools
- Joined US Army
- Married 14 year old cousin Virginia Clemm
- Suffered with alcoholism and depression throughout life, which worsened when Virginia died
- Suspected to have died of rabies
Died: 11/03/1849 in Baltimore, MD

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The Fall of the House of Usher didn't win any literary awards, as they weren't common at the time.

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The imagery in the book was amazing, as the dreary feel of the house was nearly palpable by just reading the story. Also, the mysteries still unsolved in the story give a feeling of nervous awe in the reader. Finally, I liked the Gothic horror genre of the work.

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Anyone that is interested in a well-made mysterious tale of horror and uneasiness should read the Fall of the House of Usher.

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It is evident that the many strange and unfortunate incidents in Poe's life vividly were displayed in the theme and content of the Fall of the House of Usher. His severe depression and mental illness, perhaps catalyzed by the death of his parents, manifested itself in the character of Roderick, as well as the general sense of fear and gloom felt in the work.