This story is about a man (the narrator of the story) who is visiting his childhood friend, that is suffering from “acuteness of the senses”. His friend, Roderick Usher, sent for him hoping that his friend might give him support. Though his mental problems were a large part of his sorrow, most of it was due to his sister's illness. Much of the narrator's time at The House of Usher was spent reading philosophical books …showed first 75 words of 373 total…

…showed last 75 words of 373 total…leaves at the sight of this and soon after the House of Usher collapses. This story is full of secondary meaning. One of Poe’s uses of hidden meanings in this tale is the many stories the two read. They seem to imply a premise of an evil existence. They are mostly based on topics like death, heaven and hell, and similar theoretical themes. These stories reflect the situation Usher is trying to escape from.