The Gold Bug by Edgar Allan Poe

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Edgar Allan Poe was born January 19, 1809. Many consider him to be the master of mystery and horror. He only lived until he was forty, but he still managed to make a name for himself in that span. He was an author, a poet, and a critic. He had success but not of the financial or personal variety. For one, every woman he ever cared for ended up dead. That included his wife Virginia whom he loved dearly. The men in his life who were supposed to be there to guide him never stuck around. Financially, the copyright laws of the time did not favor writers. One could have a popular story but not earn much in the way of money. His most famous work is The Raven, a narrative poem that was first published in January 1845. He also wrote other highly regarded short stories such as, The Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Tell- Tale Heart, and The Gold Bug (Edgar 1). Most of Edgar Allan Poe's poems and stories had dark and macabre themes. The Gold Bug was not one of those stories.

The Gold Bug by Edgar Allan Poe is a very exciting story. The story takes place in Sullivan's Island, South Carolina. The narrator who is unidentified through out the story is very good friends with William Legrand. William Legrand was from New Orleans and he gathers insects as a hobby. William Legrand has a servant named Jupiter that keeps him company and stays with him all times. One day the narrator decides to go over William's house. William Legrand and Jupiter arrive to the house shortly. William seems to be in a very good/exciting mood. William finds a rare Beetle and seems to be very pleased by its finding. The narrator asks to see the Beetle right away, but William let a Lieutenant borrow the beetle to exam in it. William draws a picture to show the narra...

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...ritten in 1843? Whatever the answer, it seems to open up a can of worms every time.

The Gold Bug is a very well written story. Time is taken to build the story which piques the readers interest. In the story, Edgar Allan Poe does include a bit of cryptography. He includes a cipher that is decoded in the story. Also, as previously mentioned, this is not your typical Edgar Allan Poe story that ends in bloody tragedy. This would be the perfect read for someone who might enjoy a somewhat ominous build-up but does not want to deal with the aforementioned bloody tragedy. The Gold Bug truly is an excellent read.

Works Cited

“Edgar Allan Poe.” 2013. The Biography Channel website. Mar 25 2014, 11:59 http://www.biography.com/people/edgar-allan-poe-9443160

Poe, Edgar Allan. Tales of Mystery and Imagination. Wordsworth Classics: London, 1995. Print.

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