Poe himself. (Bloom 19)As the narrator's visit continues, he learns more of Usher's illness. First, he suffers from "a morbid acuteness of the senses. (Poe 354)" He cannot bear more than the most bland food; his clothing can only be textured in a certain way; all flowers have an unbearable odor to him; his eyes cannot handle any bright lights; his ears are hurt by any noises louder than the stringed instruments he is so fond of playing. He also suffers from severe paranoia. He is afraid of the results of any actions taken by himself or anyone else. He also believes that his house has a very supernatural quality. After Usher is finished talking about his illness, he tells his friend of his sister. While he is conversing with the narrator about her, she walks slowly across the far end of the room. The narrator is amazed at how much she resembles Roderick. She, while looking exactly like her brother, has the exact opposite illness. She suffers from cataleptical spells, which render her to appear dead and to lack any pulse.The real action in the plot occurs when the narrator is asked by Roderick to help him place his recently deceased sister in a vault under the house for a fortnight(two weeks). Roderick requests this under the fear that she might be exumed by the sinister family doctor. The apparent death of Madeline plunges Roderick even further into the depths of insanity. He wanders the halls aimlessly at night, and he forgets his usual habits of music and art. To the narrator, Roderick seems like he is hiding some great secret. At this point in the story, the narrator begins to feel Roderick's condition starting to affect him. The narrator begins to lose sleep and stay very nervous. (Bloom 19)One night, while the narrator is pacing back and forth across his room, he hears Roderick walking down the hallway. He knocks on the door and entered the narrator's room carrying the lamp. He has come to show the narrator a stor...
