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The Fall of the House of Usher"
Summary
The narrator approaches the House of Usher on a "dull, dark, and soundless day." This house--the estate of his boyhood friend, Roderick Usher--is very gloomy and mysterious. The narrator writes that the house seems to have collected an evil and diseased atmosphere from the decaying trees and murky ponds around it. He notes, however, that although the house itself is decaying in pieces (for example, individual stones are disintegrating), the structure itself is fairly solid. ... The narrator reveals that he is to stay in this house because his friend, Roderick, sent him a letter earnestly requesting his company. Roderick told the narrator in this letter that he was feeling bodily and emotionally ill, so the narrator rushed to his house. The narrator also mentions that the Usher family, while an ancient clan, never flourished. Only one member of the Usher family survived from generation to generation, so they were all in a direct line of descent without any siblings.
The inside of the house is just as spooky as the outside. ... The narrator also notes that Roderick seems afraid of his own house. Further, Rodericks sister, Madeline Usher has taken ill with a mysterious illness that the doctors cannot even identify. ... Soon Roderick posits his theory that the house is unhealthy, just as the narrator had supposed at the beginning of the story.
Soon, Madeline dies, and Roderick decides to bury her temporarily in the tombs below the house. ... He leads the narrator to the window, from where they can see a bright-looking gas all around the house.
Approximate Word count = 1249
Approximate Pages = 5
(250 words per page double spaced)
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