Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
“The Fall of the House of Usher” is a Gothic short story written by Edgar Allan Poe and published in 1839. Like "The Raven”—the poem that made Poe a literary star—this tale follows a young man mourning the death of loved ones. In this story, though, the young man suspects that his family’s shrinking line has something to do with their strangely animate home. With its stark yet mysterious chronicling of mental collapse, startling imagery, and horrific finale, "The Fall of the House of Usher," remains one of Poe's most cherished stories.
The story opens on the narrator arriving at his childhood friend Roderick Usher's isolated home after receiving a letter from Usher alluding to an undefined "mental disorder” and pleading for him to visit. While the narrator feels an irrational fear upon viewing the decrepit mansion, whose windows resemble eyes, the only real indication of its instability is a large crack in the stone. The narrator notes that Usher belongs to an ancient clan whose only surviving descendents are Usher and his sister Madeline.
After surveying the house from afar, the narrator rides past the "tarn,” or small mountain lake, bordering it. A servant takes his horse, and a valet escorts him into the house, where he finds Usher, along with his family doctor. The narrator notes Usher’s deteriorating appearance; his skin is "ghastly" in hue, and he seems excessively nervous and afraid, vacillating between energetic and depressed.
Usher acknowledges his "nervous affection," which has resulted in bizarre symptoms including acute senses; he cannot bear most food, and his eyes cannot stand light. While the causes for this affliction are mysterious, Usher cites his beloved sister’s failing health as a contributing factor.
Still, the boyhood friends pass the days as best they can, watching Usher paint and improvise strange, beguiling songs on guitar. He also pores over the books in his vast library, speaking of a living "atmosphere" contained within the walls of the house. He also points to the lake’s eerie glow outside, where the crack in the foundation of the house ends.
Soon, the Narrator himself catches a glimpse of Madeline passing through a hall. She is clearly on death’s door, and Usher notes that being "the last of the ancient race of the Ushers" fills him with dread. When Madeline finally dies, Usher decides to preserve her corpse for a fortnight in one of the building's vaults. During the entombment, the narrator gets his first good look at the face of the deceased and is struck by her resemblance to Usher—they were twins, clearly sharing a powerful bond.
In the days that follow, the Narrator notes Usher’s descent into madness: his skin grows whiter, and he spends his time on roaming the house for hours, rather than on artistic or intellectual pursuits. What frightens the Narrator even more is that he too is beginning to feel "infected" by Usher’s condition, possibly even his madness.
One night, a storm descends. The Narrator is too terrified to sleep, so he and Usher read a story together: the "Mad Trist" by Sir Launcelot Canning, a fantastical romance about a knight's battle with a dragon. In it, Ethelred the knight breaks down the door of a hermit's abode, making quite a commotion. But when the Narrator reads aloud the account of this act, he thinks he hears the same kind of crash described in the book—"the very cracking and ripping sound Sir Launcelot had so particularly described."
The Narrator continues reading, arriving at the point in the story when Ethelred finds a dragon inside instead of the hermit, then promptly slays it. The dragon lets out a horrible shriek. Then, just as the Narrator reads the description, he hears a "most unusual screaming.” Terrified, he looks to Usher, who rocks from side to side, muttering to himself.
The Narrator returns to the book, where Ethelred removes the dragon's corpse and tries to rip a shield from the wall. The shield, however, falls at his feet, making a "terrible ringing sound." Once again, the Narrator hears the same noise in the house. Finally, Usher calls out: "We have put her living in the tomb!" As if on command, the doors to the chamber spring open, and there stands Madeline. With a "low, moaning cry," she attacks her brother, killing him, while the Narrator flees into the storm.
The story ends as the narrator describes seeing the House of Usher rip apart along the jagged crack in the walls, which burst and crumble, disappearing into the lake. “There was a long and stormy shouting sound,” Poe writes, “and the deep black lake closed darkly over all that remained of the House of Usher.”
Read the full study guide and analysis at gradesaver.com/the-fall-of-the-house-of-usher
“The Fall of the House of Usher” is a Gothic short story written by Edgar Allan Poe and published in 1839. Like "The Raven”—the poem that made Poe a literary star—this tale follows a young man mourning the death of loved ones. In this story, though, the young man suspects that his family’s shrinking line has something to do with their strangely animate home. With its stark yet mysterious chronicling of mental collapse, startling imagery, and horrific finale, "The Fall of the House of Usher," remains one of Poe's most cherished stories.
The story opens on the narrator arriving at his childhood friend Roderick Usher's isolated home after receiving a letter from Usher alluding to an undefined "mental disorder” and pleading for him to visit. While the narrator feels an irrational fear upon viewing the decrepit mansion, whose windows resemble eyes, the only real indication of its instability is a large crack in the stone. The narrator notes that Usher belongs to an ancient clan whose only surviving descendents are Usher and his sister Madeline.
After surveying the house from afar, the narrator rides past the "tarn,” or small mountain lake, bordering it. A servant takes his horse, and a valet escorts him into the house, where he finds Usher, along with his family doctor. The narrator notes Usher’s deteriorating appearance; his skin is "ghastly" in hue, and he seems excessively nervous and afraid, vacillating between energetic and depressed.
Usher acknowledges his "nervous affection," which has resulted in bizarre symptoms including acute senses; he cannot bear most food, and his eyes cannot stand light. While the causes for this affliction are mysterious, Usher cites his beloved sister’s failing health as a contributing factor.
Still, the boyhood friends pass the days as best they can, watching Usher paint and improvise strange, beguiling songs on guitar. He also pores over the books in his vast library, speaking of a living "atmosphere" contained within the walls of the house. He also points to the lake’s eerie glow outside, where the crack in the foundation of the house ends.
Soon, the Narrator himself catches a glimpse of Madeline passing through a hall. She is clearly on death’s door, and Usher notes that being "the last of the ancient race of the Ushers" fills him with dread. When Madeline finally dies, Usher decides to preserve her corpse for a fortnight in one of the building's vaults. During the entombment, the narrator gets his first good look at the face of the deceased and is struck by her resemblance to Usher—they were twins, clearly sharing a powerful bond.
In the days that follow, the Narrator notes Usher’s descent into madness: his skin grows whiter, and he spends his time on roaming the house for hours, rather than on artistic or intellectual pursuits. What frightens the Narrator even more is that he too is beginning to feel "infected" by Usher’s condition, possibly even his madness.
One night, a storm descends. The Narrator is too terrified to sleep, so he and Usher read a story together: the "Mad Trist" by Sir Launcelot Canning, a fantastical romance about a knight's battle with a dragon. In it, Ethelred the knight breaks down the door of a hermit's abode, making quite a commotion. But when the Narrator reads aloud the account of this act, he thinks he hears the same kind of crash described in the book—"the very cracking and ripping sound Sir Launcelot had so particularly described."
The Narrator continues reading, arriving at the point in the story when Ethelred finds a dragon inside instead of the hermit, then promptly slays it. The dragon lets out a horrible shriek. Then, just as the Narrator reads the description, he hears a "most unusual screaming.” Terrified, he looks to Usher, who rocks from side to side, muttering to himself.
The Narrator returns to the book, where Ethelred removes the dragon's corpse and tries to rip a shield from the wall. The shield, however, falls at his feet, making a "terrible ringing sound." Once again, the Narrator hears the same noise in the house. Finally, Usher calls out: "We have put her living in the tomb!" As if on command, the doors to the chamber spring open, and there stands Madeline. With a "low, moaning cry," she attacks her brother, killing him, while the Narrator flees into the storm.
The story ends as the narrator describes seeing the House of Usher rip apart along the jagged crack in the walls, which burst and crumble, disappearing into the lake. “There was a long and stormy shouting sound,” Poe writes, “and the deep black lake closed darkly over all that remained of the House of Usher.”
Read the full study guide and analysis at gradesaver.com/the-fall-of-the-house-of-usher
