The Fall of the House of Usher

Vocabulary

100

Very, very thin, usually from being sick or not eating enough

Emaciated

200

Shook or trembled, usually because of fear or strong feelings. 

Quivered

300

A sickness or illness

Malady

400

When something like a building, is falling apart because it hasn't been taken care of.

Dilapidation

500

Feeling really sad or gloomy, often without knowing. 

Melancholy

Characters

100

This character is the owner of the Usher mansion and suffers from both a mental and physical illness. 

Roderick Usher

200

This character is Roderick's twin.

Madeline

300

This character is the unnamed observer of the story.

The narrator

400

Roderick Usher sends this to the narrator, urging him to visit and provide support during his time of distress. 

A letter

500

This characters countenance, when first met, was a miongled expression of low cunning and perplexity. 

The physician

Setting

100

This body of water surrounds the Usher mansion and reflects its image, adding to the eeire atmospere. What did Poe call it?

Tarn

200

The story takes place during this time of year, which adds to the gloomy and foreboding mood. 

Autumn

300

The Usher mansion is located in this type of remote, desolate area, contributing to the theme of isolation. 

Countryside or Rural

400

The interior of the Usher mansion is described with this type of oppresive, decaying atmosphere, symbolizing the decline of the Usher family. 

Dark and gloomy

500

This feature of the Usher mansion's architecture is first noticed by the narrator and symbolizes the instability of the family. 

Fissure or crack

Themes

100

This theme is explored through the gradual mental deterioration of Roderick Usher and the overall atmosphere of the story.

Madness or insanity

200

The fate of the Usher family and their mansion emphasizes the theme, which suggests that everything, including families and structures, decays over time. 

Decay or deterioration

300

The close relationship between Roderick and Madeline Usher, as well as the house itself, illustrates this theme, symbolizing how one cannot escape their familial ties or legacy.

Family or family ties

400

Roderick's hypersensitivity to his enviornment, combined with the dark and oppressive mansion, contributes to this overwhelming theme that pervades the story.

Fear

500

The crumbling of the house and the Usher bloodline reflects this theme, pointing to the inescapable consequences of an unnatural or unhealthy lineage. 

Doom or fate

Symbols

100

This physical feature of the Usher mansion represents the fractured state of the family and their impending collapse. 

Crack in the mansion

200

The gloomy and oppressive atmosphere around the Usher mansion, often referred to as this, symbolizes the pervasive dread and isolation felt by its inhabitants.

The tarn

300

This object, used to seal Madeline in her tomb, symbolizes the entrapment of both the body and the mind. 

Coffin

400

The decaying state of this place reflects the physical and mental deterioration of Roderick Usher.

Usher mansion

500

The storm at the end of the story symbolizes this emotional and mental state, mirroring the climax of the characters' descent into madness. 

Chaos