Why does Roderick choose the vault to bury his sister?

When Madeline finally dies, he decides to preserve her corpse for a fortnight in one of the building's vaults. It seems a reasonable precaution, given how far away the family burial grounds are, so the Narrator accepts the idea. Madeline becomes "alive" only after she was buried in the vault. This curious development may help explain Roderick's strange decision to temporarily bury his sister in the vault. The vault in which he buries Madeline echoes the one he paints, another instance of otherworldly foresight.

When Madeline finally dies, he decides to preserve her corpse for a fortnight in one of the building's vaults. It seems a reasonable precaution, given how far away the family burial grounds are, so the Narrator accepts the idea. Madeline becomes "alive" only after she was buried in the vault. This curious development may help explain Roderick's strange decision to temporarily bury his sister in the vault. The vault in which he buries Madeline echoes the one he paints, another instance of otherworldly foresight.