32 pages • 1 hour read
The Gold Bug
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Literary Devices
Setting
The setting is the time and place in which the events of the story take place. As a literary device, the author can use the setting to craft specific details and convey aspects of mood. Poe provides a distinct setting for his short story in Sullivan’s island, which he describes in detail:
This Island is a very singular one. It consists of little else than the sea sand, and is about three miles long. Its breadth at no point exceeds a quarter of a mile. It is separated from the mainland by a scarcely perceptible creek, oozing its way through a wilderness of reeds and slime, a favorite resort of the marsh-hen. The vegetation, as might be supposed, is scant, or at least dwarfish (7).
Islands have come to be associated in popular culture with treasure, but they have always held connotations of isolation and mystery in literature. Separated from the norms of a mainland or kingdom, islands’ geographical locations and boundaries can be used to shape the action of plots. Islands are transgressive spaces where the rules can be broken, so they are the perfect place for a magical adventure or the concealment of a chilling crime. Poe leaves the reader to decide which type of place Sullivan’s island is at the end of the story.
Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing is a device that an author employs to indicate what happens later in the story. Because foreshadowing creates a sense of expectation, it can generate tension and suspense. Poe opens his story with an epigraph from All in the Wrong, a comedy by the Irish playwright Arthur Murphy: “What ho! What ho! This fellow is dancing mad! He hath been bitten by the Tarantula” (7). This quote is a reference to stories of people who were bitten and poisoned by spiders, and who danced a jig that was known as the “tarantula dance” to try and cure themselves. These lines foreshadow Legrand’s odd behavior, which Jupiter believes has been caused by a bite from the gold bug. That the lines are from a play called All in the Wrong also foreshadows how Jupiter and the narrator misunderstand what is causing Legrand to act strangely. Legrand has only been infected by the metaphorical bug bite of greed–the possibility of great wealth and the restoration of his family name.
Red Herrings
The definition of a red herring in literature is a false or misleading clue. Mysteries and thrillers often contain red herrings that lead readers astray or distract them from what’s really going on. Because red herrings prevent the reader from predicting the story’s outcome, the resolution is more surprising when it is revealed. Poe uses a red herring when he introduces Legrand as a man that is prone to mood swings and erratic behavior. The narrator says that his friend is “well educated, with unusual powers of mind, but infected with misanthropy, and subject to perverse moods of alternate enthusiasm and melancholy” (7). The inclusion of the details describing Legrand’s unstable character predisposes the reader to agree with Jupiter and the narrator that Legrand has gone insane later on.
The gold bug itself is also a red herring. Poe titles his work after the bug to emphasize its importance as a misdirection, and the narrator (and thus the reader) considers it the real treasure through most of the story. It’s only after the group discovers the treasure that Legrand reveals that the bug was insignificant all along.
Dialogue
Dialogue is an exchange of spoken words between two or more characters, as in a conversation. Authors can use dialogue as part of characterization to allow for different points of view other than the narrator’s, to move the plot forward, and to convey subtext. Poe uses dialogue in “The Gold-Bug” to characterize and contrast his three main characters. Poe employs standard English for Legrand and the narrator to reflect their elevated social standing and greater intelligence, whilst Jupiter participates in dialogue with non-standard English.
Jupiter’s speech is intended to mimic an African American dialect, although it is based on racial stereotypes rather than being an accurate reflection of African American speech. Jupiter’s pronounced accent and use of non-standard English were commonly presented as characteristics of Black people in the antebellum period in which “The Gold-Bug” was written. Jupiter’s dialogue is meant to add humor through linguistic puns and misunderstandings. For example, when Legrand is talking about the gold bug’s antennae, Jupiter interrupts with, “dey aint no tin in him” (9). Poe uses a homophonic pun of “tin” and “antennae” to highlight Jupiter’s lack of understanding. Poe portrays Legrand and the narrator as on the same intellectual level as his contemporary readers—typically also educated white Americans. From this classist, racist vantage point, all Jupiter’s errors can be seen as the humorous bumbling of a loveable “idiot,” although a modern audience would recognize the racism in his characterization.
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By Edgar Allan Poe
