illustration of a dark, menacing cracked house with large, red eyes looking through the windows

The Fall of the House of Usher

by Edgar Allan Poe

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The Fall of the House of Usher Questions on Madeline and Roderick's Death

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The Fall of the House of Usher

Roderick's motives and actions regarding Madeline in "The Fall of the House of Usher" are complex and driven by fear and desperation. He believes she is dead and buries her prematurely, possibly to...

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The Fall of the House of Usher

In "The Fall of the House of Usher," it is unclear if Roderick knowingly buries Madeline alive out of malice or if it is a mistake due to his and her illnesses. Madeline's disease gives her an...

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The Fall of the House of Usher

Madeline kills Roderick Usher. Having been prematurely buried by Roderick, Madeline returns from her grave and collapses on top of him. They both die immediately.

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The Fall of the House of Usher

"The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe centers on the narrator's visit to his childhood friend Roderick Usher, who is suffering from a mysterious ailment. The Usher family home is...

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The Fall of the House of Usher

  A good question. I'd say no, they aren't vampires, but that rather they are some undefined sort of undead creature. The main reason I'd say they aren't vampires is the story's ending. Poe's...

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The Fall of the House of Usher

The narrator helps Roderick Usher move her body to another part of the house and secure it in a "vault" of sorts.  The narrator and Usher believe that Madeline has died when they do this, but...

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The Fall of the House of Usher

The narrator was completely stunned by the sight of Madeline, who was covered in blood and in the process of pulling herself out of her tomb. Therefore, he did not know that she was alive when they...

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The Fall of the House of Usher

Roderick Usher's psychological deterioration mirrors the physical decline of the House of Usher. His mental instability and growing madness are reflected in the crumbling, decaying mansion,...

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The Fall of the House of Usher

Usher's attitude and mood seem to switch back and forth while talking to the narrator, with such changes being especially marked in the instances that directly precede his breakdown.

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The Fall of the House of Usher

"From that chamber, and from that mansion, I fled aghast," the narrator declares after the harrowing scene of the enshrouded Madeline Usher, whose white cerements are blood-stained, displaying the...

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