Previous
Narrator (The Fall of the House of Usher)
The last descendant of the Usher family, a genetic line that has been obsessively pure through the ages. He suffers from a nervous condition, which seems to be connected with both the degradation of the house itself and his twin sister Madeleine. In fact, as Madeleine dies and is entombed, Usher’s mood becomes very strange and it becomes clear how fatally connected he is to his sister and the house.Usher is also a talented painter and musical scientist, and Poe weaves these artistic and intellectual pursuits into Usher’s eccentric temperament.
Get the entire Poe's Stories LitChart as a printable PDF.
Roderick Usher Character Timeline in Poe's Stories
The timeline below shows where the character Roderick Usher appears in Poe's Stories. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
The Fall of the House of Usher
The narrator of "House of Usher" is passing on horseback through a dull part of the country on a grim day,...
(full context)
The narrator of "House of Usher" tries to explain to himself how the house has this effect on him, but it...
(full context)
Despite all this, the narrator of "House of Usher" is planning to stay at this very residence. He has received an urgent letter from...
(full context)
The narrator of "House of Usher" describes looking down into the water and feeling his superstition about the house increase within...
(full context)
The narrator of "House of Usher" notices the extreme age of the property, but that some parts are crumbling and others...
(full context)
On the way, the narrator of "House of Usher" passes many striking objects and images on tapestries and carvings, and he feels again that...
(full context)
Usher rises and greets his old friend eagerly, which the narrator of "House of Usher" can...
(full context)
But Usher’s condition is severe, at times incomprehensible, one minute full of energy, the other depressed. In...
(full context)
Usher also suffers from a superstitious nature, especially related to the House of Usher – he...
(full context)
But Usher also explains that his symptoms can be attributed to a more comprehensible cause, the long...
(full context)
...on this day, she finally takes to her bed and the narrator of "House of Usher" knows he will probably never see her again. Over the ensuing days the narrator tries...
(full context)
The narrator of "House of Usher" and Usher paint and read together. These hours stay in the narrator’s memory, but he...
(full context)
The narrator of "House of Usher" distinctly remembers one example of these songs, and perhaps it is the truth of its...
(full context)
This recitation reminds the narrator of "House of Usher" of a strange belief that Usher held about his house: that the objects in it...
(full context)
The books that Usher adores are in keeping with this superstition. Usher’s favorite is a “manual of a forgotten...
(full context)
As Usher’s closest companion now, the narrator of "House of Usher" helps him to move the lady’s...
(full context)
...they have placed the coffin, they remove the lid and the narrator of "House of Usher" is surprised to find a striking resemblance between the sister and brother. Usher tells him...
(full context)
After this deed is done, Usher’s mood changes. He spends all his time wandering, purposeless. His paleness is even worse and...
(full context)
The mood is so overpowering that the narrator of "House of Usher" finds himself changing a little too. He feels this way especially one night about a...
(full context)
As the narrator of "House of Usher" does this, he hears a footfall outside the room and knows that it is Usher....
(full context)
The narrator of "House of Usher" wants to shield Usher from this sight, which he explains is nothing more than an...
(full context)
The narrator of "House of Usher" comes to the point in the book where Ethelred, during a storm, comes to the...
(full context)
Usher’s behavior, as the reading progresses, has altered from being intent on the reader to now...
(full context)
Usher describes Madeleine coming up the stairs, the sound of her heart, and then, in an...
(full context)
The narrator of "House of Usher" flees from the house, and through the storm. He sees a flash of light and...
(full context)
