“I must perish in this deplorable madness” (Poe par. 11). With this declaration, Roderick Usher seems to both accept and seal his fate. The "House of Usher" was once a powerful and well-respected family, but is now virtually non-existent. Twins Roderick and Madeline are the only ones who survive from this once proud race. A summons from Roderick to the unknown narrator of this story, a childhood friend of Roderick, sets the events in motion. He speaks of an illness and mental disorder that have become a great burden to him, and he wishes that the company of his dearest friend would help comfort him and bring him "some relief from his illness" ( Poe par. 2). When the narrator arrives at the family mansion, he is struck by the aura of “gloom” that surrounds the house. He is then introduced into Roderick's office where he discovers for the first time the cruel spectacle of what has become of his childhood friend. He describes Roderick's once youthful and vital appearance as that of a "lost drunkard... [an] irredeemable opium eater" (Poe par. 9) and even briefly doubts who he is actually addressing due to such a radical physical difference. . The two begin to devote their time to joint activities such as reading, painting, and even composing music. The days pass until, suddenly, Roderick informs the narrator that his twin sister has finally died from the illness that has been tormenting her for some time and asks for his help in entombing her body in the lower vault of the mansion until a proper burial. could be preformed. As the days pass, after Madeline's entombment, Roderick's mental stability begins to deteriorate as he begins to wander the rooms of the mansion listening to what the narrator describes as "an imagina... . middle of paper.... ..the family faded until it was known as a single entity. This connection and the gradual widening of the fissure that ran through the house from head to root leads to its ironic and violent end. With the last two remaining Ushers dead, leaving no one to continue the line, the "House" is doomed to be buried and rot until it becomes like the memory of the former great Ushers, forgotten. Works Cited Carpenter, David A. “The Fall of the House of Usher.” Masterplots II: short story series. 10 vol. Ed. Frank N. Magill. Pasadena: Salem, 1986. Print. “Incest.” Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia 6. (2009): 1. Academic Research Premier. Internet. April 19, 2010.Poe, Edgar Allan. The Fall of House Usher. Bartleby. Internet. March 24, 2010. Wilson, Kathleen. “The Fall of the House of Usher.” Short stories for students. Flight. 2. Detroit: Gale, 1997. 54-66. Print.