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Why does the narrator go to the House of Usher?
The narrator goes to the House of Usher because he receives a letter from Roderick begging his company. In the letter, Roderick explains his illness and begs that the narrator, as his only friend, come to help cheer him up. Although taken aback by the strange letter, the narrator feels he cannot rightly refuse Roderick’s invitation because the tone of the letter had such urgency, strangeness, and a sincere desperation (“it was the apparent heart that went with his request”).
What is unique about the lineage of the Usher family?
As the narrator describes, the family tree of the Usher family has only one branch. In other words, no sibling to the primary heir of the Usher family has ever gone on to have their own family, which would become a second branch of the family tree. As families with only one child were unusual in the nineteenth century, it’s possible that only one child tended to survive to adulthood, as suggested by Roderick’s insistence that an illness runs in their family. Another possible and awful explanation is an incestuous relationship between brother and sister in every generation.
What is wrong with Roderick Usher?
Roderick explains that his illness is a nervous affliction that runs in the family. In addition, he offers two other explanations, one psychological and one bordering on supernatural. First he explains that his beloved sister is dying, and then suggests that the house itself has made him ill. The narrator appears unconvinced by these explanations. He consistently describes Roderick as a hypochondriac and talks about Roderick’s gloomy demeanor as being impenetrable, as if Roderick is determined to be melancholy. However, considering the strange events of the story, it is ultimately unclear whether Roderick’s illness is real or in his mind.
Why does Roderick intern Madeline in the vault?
Roderick’s reasoning for interning Madeline in the vault before her final burial is the unusual nature of her illness. He cites how isolated the family burial plot is, which, combined with how interesting doctors find her illness, suggests a fear that doctors or scientists might dig up her body for scientific purposes. Up through the nineteenth century, grave robbers would often sell cadavers to medical schools and researchers, making Roderick’s fears reasonable, even to the narrator.
What is the meaning of the title “The Fall of the House of Usher?”
Primarily, the title plays on the way the word “house” refers to both the physical manor house and the Usher lineage. In this sense, the story depicts both the literal fall of the house and the end of the Usher line. However, if we take Roderick’s song, “The Haunted Palace,” into account, a third reading emerges. The haunted palace the lyrics describe refer to a mind clouded by madness. Thus, the title can also refer to Roderick Usher’s “house,” or mind, falling to his psychological illness.
