Exposition

The narrator arrives by horseback at the House of Usher. Roderick Usher wrote a
letter to the narrator to come and visit him for a short time to help him overcome an
agitation of his soul that he has been experiencing. The narrator observes that
house seems sickly, and Usher himself is pale and sickly. The state of the house
seems to be coinciding with the state of Roderick Usher.

Conflict
Usher reveals that his twin sister Madeline is dying. She passes a few weeks later,
and Usher decides to keep her body in a vault in one of the walls while he makes
plans for her burial. He also wants to protect her from being studied by the doctors.
The narrator notices that Madeline’s cheeks and chest are still flushed. Usher’s
appearance and demeanor worsen after Madeline’s death.

Rising Action
Shortly after Madeline was placed in the vault, the narrator begins to hear strange
noises in the house. One night, in the middle of a terrible storm, Usher comes to
the narrator’s bed chamber and they open the window to a terrifying atmosphere
with low-hanging clouds and fog that surround the house. The narrator begins to
read to Usher to calm him down.

Climax
As the narrator reads through the story, the sounds he describes in the story begin
to echo in the house. When he reaches the point where Ethelred, the hero, kills the
dragon, there is a scream in the house. Usher tips over his chair and begins
rocking back and forth. Usher whispers that he’s been hearing sounds from his
sister’s coffin and he fears he might have buried her alive. The door flies open, and
Madeline is standing there, covered in blood.

Falling Action
Madeline leaps upon Roderick and dies. Roderick also dies from shock and fear.
The narrator flees the house.

Resolution
As the narrator watches, he sees the house collapse and disappear into the
ethereal fog and waters. Eventually, the house is completely gone.