'The Fall of the House of Usher' - Edgar Allan Poe
 Lesson 5 | Lady Madeline - Character Analysis

​From “He admitted, however, although with hesitation, that much of the peculiar gloom [ … ]
to [ … ]that the lady, at least while leaving, would be seen no more”.

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Who is Lady Madeline and what happens to her in the passage?

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Madeline Usher is Roderick’s ‘beloved’ twin sister. She is suffering from a severe and lingering illness that is progressively crippling her. She is said to be gradually wasting away : “(…) a gradual wasting away of the person”. In the extract, the narrator sees her cross the room in silence like a ghost : “While he spoke, the lady Madeline (for so she was called) passed slowly through a remote portion of the apartment, and, without having noticed my presence disappeared”. Madeline is thus introduced as a ghostly figure. She is described as an elusive and deeply disturbed character whose presence is always felt but very rarely seen. 

The relationship between Roderick and his sister

“ (…) a tenderly beloved sister – his sole companion for long years – his last and only relative on earth.
​“Her decease,” he said, with a bitterness which I can never forget, “would leave him (him the hopeless and the frail) the last of the ancient race of the Ushers.”

The vocabulary Roderick uses to refer to Madeline expresses both love and nostalgia, as if she was already dead. This supports the interpretation according to which Madeline Usher was already dead from the beginning.
It is clear that Roderick considers his sister as his last link to life. They are very close and have forged a fusional relationship together. The fact that Roderick considers that her death would leave him “the last of the ancient race of the Ushers’ is reminiscent of the incestuous undertone that characterises their relationship. Why, if she dies, would the Usher race end? Roderick is a man and could marry someone else and start a family. This could be interpreted as hint suggesting that, once his sister dies, he will not be able to continue the tradition of incest.
Furthermore, this could also explain the decay and horror of the House of Usher.  Both Roderick’s and Madeline’s mysterious illnesses – or “family evil” - might stem from inbred genes, for Poe seems to suggest right from the start that they are both the products of extensive intermarriage within the Usher family.  

Is Madeline a ghost? [ ... ]

Because Roderick is talking about his sister with nostalgia, the narrator assumes that Madeline is already dead. As a consequence, when her ghostly figure appears before him, he is filled with “astonishment” and “dread”. He is also struggling to make sense of what is happening : “I found it impossible to account for such feelings”, as if he found himself before a supernatural creature.

[ ... ] or the physical manifestation of Roderick's worst fears?

As he mentions his sister, she appears, as if she was the embodiment of his own despair and fear. While there are several ways in which the character of Madeline Usher can be interpreted, one argument is that she is the physical manifestation of Roderick’s worst fears, as if she was a sort of supernatural shade that ignites fear in Roderick.  
When he sees her, he becomes as pale as a ghost and starts crying : “(…) I could only perceive that a far more than ordinary wanes had overspread the emaciated fingers through which trickled many passionate tears”. It is also worth mentioning that the expression “passionate tears” is another reference to his abiding love for his sister.

Name Symbolism

Roderick Usher

Rod : a stick that is used for hitting people as a punishment

Usher : to take or show somebody where they should go

The name Roderick Usher evokes punishment (Rod) and a passage between two worlds (Usher). Indeed, Roderick represents danger, a form of violence, and the introduction of the narrator into another dimension : “The valet now opened a door and ushered me into the presence of his master”. Entering the House of Usher is like entering Usher’s mind and soul. 

Madeline Usher

​The name Madeline evokes madness.

Usher : to take or show somebody where they should go

Madeline ushers her bother and the narrator into her world of madness. Throughout the story, and although she is rarely seen, she has a significant psychological impact on both Roderick and the narrator. It cannot be denied that both Roderick and the narrator are eerily disturbed by her presence, albeit an elusive one. In the end, Roderick accepts his madness while the narrator runs away from the House of Usher.

Prolepsis (Foreshadowing)

“(…) he had buried his face in his hands”

Poe is also well-known for his use of prolepsis, or foreshadowing, throughout his narratives. In Narrative Discourse, Gerard Genette defines prolepsis as “any narrative manoeuvre that consists of narrating or evoking in advance an event that will take place later”. In other words, what happens figuratively now will be happening literally later. So, when, upon seeing his sister, Roderick buries his face in his hands, this foreshadows the burial of his sister that will take place later in the story.

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