Continuing in my Poe fixation... I’m now going to write on ’’The Gold Bug’’
I’d like to thank my fellow ms colleague JADED for zeroing in on something. She wrote, and I quote I think it is his ability to describe true ’’fear’’ and a sense of ’’helplessness’’ that we all can relate to, which makes him a great writer. er... unquote. I couldnt have defined that better. Well done Jaded.
On to the Gold Bug.
The Gold Bug is a great piece of work that gives the reader a liberal dose of hooks and kicks. Its more of a Sherlock Holmsian style mystery than a Pit and The Pendulum type impending doom tale. Still it bears the stamp of Poe’s class and his exquisite mastery of prose.
In a nutshell
Poe seems to have had a fixation with the first person. This tale is also a ’’from the narrator’s mouth’’ style narrative like The Black Cat and most of Poe’s other works.
The tale revolves around a once wealthy aristocrat William LeGrand who left his home in New Orleans to settle on an island with his aide, an african named Jupiter who addressed him as ’’MASSA WILL’’. Legrand built a hut and took to hunting, fishing and exploring the beach. It was during one of his expeditions that he encountered with the focal point of the tale - the Gold Bug.
The tale picks up from this piece of text onwards...
Legrand was in one of his fits -- how else shall I term them? -- of enthusiasm. He had found an unknown bivalve, forming a new genus, and, more than this, he had hunted down and secured, with Jupiter’s assistance, a scarabaeus which he believed to be totally new, but in respect to which he wished to have my opinion on the morrow.
This gold bug that Legrand discovers paves the way to a mystery that includes pirates and a cryptic puzzle that is solved with great ingenuity.
What lies in store for Legrand and friends? You got to read the Gold Bug for answers...
What makes this tale a great read
Poe’s cocktail has a dash of something that you and I can relate to - mystery, pirates, puzzles and plenty of suspense. It also has a few nuggets of scientific facts and reasoning to make the read a worthwhile one for your brain.
And when you read a work by this legendary writer, you’re sure to get a dash of mental torture like none other. Trust me, its for your own good.
Underlying Message
Sometimes the truth might be right under your nose but you still need find it. Also, what might seem rational to you, might actually be the opposite.
~finis~
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Now, being the sport that I am... here’s a link if you have an urge to read it right now:
https://19.5degs.com/ebook/gold-bug/599/read#list