Lesson Plans for "The Fall of the House of Usher"
A careful reader may be
suspicious of the narrator and
his sanity.
Summary of "The Fall of the House of Usher"
Before you teach "The Fall of the House of Usher," you should make sure you understand it. I've
included a summary of "The Fall of the House of Usher" just in case you need reminded. I
probably don't need to remind you that reading a summary of "The Fall of the House of Usher" is
not actually the same as reading the actual story. For example, Poe is the master of suspense. I
am not.
The narrator receives an odd letter from an old friend, Roderick Usher, requesting his presence.
The contents of the letter reveal that Usher is suffering from numerous illnesses, both mental and
physical. As the narrator arrives, he is confronted by a "dull, dark, and soundless day in the
autumn of the year, when the clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens, through a singularly
dreary tract of country within view of the melancholy House of Usher."
Roderick Usher and his twin sister Madeline are the last two Ushers in a long line of Ushers
whose family tree has never branched. The phrase "House of Usher" refers to both the house and
the family. Roderick excitedly welcomes the narrator. They talk. The narrator learns that
Roderick's sister is near death. The narrator spends several days attempting to cheer up Roderick,
but is unable. Roderick suggests it's the house that's making him sick, something which the
narrator already suspected.
Madeline dies. Roderick puts her in a temporary tomb underneath the house, not wanting doctors
to examine his dead sister. Over the next few days, Roderick's agitation grows. Unable to sleep,
he approaches the narrator's room late at night. The narrator tries to calm Roderick down by
reading to him. As he reads, the narrator hears sounds that correspond to the story he is reading.
Roderick claims to have heard those noises since Madeline's burial, who is standing at the door,
bloodied after struggling out of her tomb.
Roderick dies from fear. The narrator escapes. The house crumbles into the tarn.
"The Fall of the House of Usher" Notes
These "Fall of the House of Usher" notes include a bit on symbolism, mood, characters,
American Romanticism, and foreshadowing.
1. American Romanticism - American Romantics--Poe, Hawthorne, Melville being the
most prominent--were fascinated with death and the supernatural, Poe especially.
2. Gothic Story - The labyrinthine house, the dreary landscape, and the myriad allusions to
other gothic tales establish "The Fall of the House of Usher" as a Gothic story. Throw in
a mysterious illness, the existence of doubles (Roderick and Madeline; the house and the
house's reflection), and a supernatural environment and Poe's story embodies most of the
elements of Gothic literature.
3. Setting and Mood - Poe establishes the story's mood immediately and never lets up. The
house and its surroundings take on a life (or death) of their own.
4. Symbolism - The most prominent symbol is the mansion itself: the fungus on it
represents the sickness of the Usher family; the collapse of the house symbolizes the end
of the family line. There also seems to be a moral decay, incest, for example, that makes
the house rank and sickly. The tarn outside the house adds to the symbolism: just like
Roderick has a twin, so does the house--its reflection in the tarn. The upside down
reflection reflects Roderick's misperception of the world.
5. Foreshadowing - the dismal setting is a sledgehammer of foreshadowing. Madeline's
disease, which causes her to look dead for extended periods of time and the rosiness of
her cheeks (see Romeo and Juliet Act V for the most famous rosy cheeks in literature) as
she's entombed, foreshadow that she's actually alive.
Activity 1: The opening of the story is one of Poe's more memorable. Reread the opening and
have students imitate Poe's style by writing their own opening with a different location (such as a
classroom). The first paragraph in the introduction of this page serves as an example. The
opening can be imitative or a parody.
Activity 2: Poe establishes a dreary, ominous mood throughout the entire story. How? Instruct
students to create a web. In the center circle, write the mood of the story--dreary or sullen, for
example. Create 20 circles connected to the middle one and write a word in each circle that
contributes to the mood.
Choose one of the following activities for the words:
•
•
•
write a separate story using the twenty words
Complete another web diagram, but change the mood in the center circle and change the
connecting words
Create a parody of "The Fall of the House of Usher."