Madeline Usher is the twin sister of Roderick Usher. She is deathly ill and cataleptic. She appears near the narrator, but never acknowledges his presence. She returns to her bedroom where Roderick claims she has died. The narrator and Roderick place her in a tomb despite her flushed, lively appearance. In the tale’s conclusion, Madeline escapes from the tomb and returns to Roderick, scaring him to death. According to Poe’s detective methodology in literature, Madeline Usher may be the physical embodiment of the supernatural and metaphysical worlds. Her limited presence is explained as a personification of Roderick’s torment and fear.
First Appearance “The Fall of the House of Usher” in Burton’s Gentleman’s Magazine (September 1839)
First Publisher Burton’s Gentleman’s Magazine
Appearance List Collections: Tales of Mystery and Imagination (1923). Film: The Fall of the House of Usher (1928) directed by Jean Epstein, The Fall of the House of Usher (1928) directed by James Sibley Watson and Melville Webber, La Chute de la maison Usher (1928, Silent, French), The Fall of the House of Usher (1942) directed by Curtis Harrington, The Fall of the House of Usher (1950), The Fall of the House of Usher (1960) directed by Roger Corman.
Description Madeline Usher is the twin sister of Roderick Usher. She is deathly ill and cataleptic. She appears near the narrator, but never acknowledges his presence. She returns to her bedroom where Roderick claims she has died. The narrator and Roderick place her in a tomb despite her flushed, lively appearance. In the tale’s conclusion, Madeline escapes from the tomb and returns to Roderick, scaring him to death. According to Poe’s detective methodology in literature, Madeline Usher may be the physical embodiment of the supernatural and metaphysical worlds. Her limited presence is explained as a personification of Roderick’s torment and fear.
