The Gold-Bug
The Gold Bug, original title The Gold -Bug, is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, in detail deciphering a secret writing is explained on the basis of frequency numbers of the individual letters in English texts as part of a treasure hunt. The short story was first published on 21 and 28 June 1843 Dollar Newspaper.
Content
The story starts out on Sullivan's Iceland, where the narrator visits his friend Legrand, who lives in a hut with his freed slaves Jupiter. Legrand reported the narrator to have made an unusual find: a shimmering metallic scarab. As Legrand has awarded the beetles to an enthusiastic entomologist, he is forced to the narrator to make a sketch of the scarab ' on an old piece of parchment, which he discovered on the beach. It follows a bewildering scene, which results from the fact that the narrator on the parchment recognizes the drawing of a skull instead of a beetle. After a few weeks Jupiter visits the narrator and gives him a letter Legrand, asking for a visit. In addition, reports of the freed slave that his former master had apparently lost his mind what Jupiter leads back to the unholy effect of a gold bug.
When the narrator Legrand abstattet the desired visit, which apparently obsessed by gold fever Legrand persuaded him to take you on a treasure hunt. There follows a strange odyssey into a tree on the mainland, in the environment apparently, it means Legrand, the buried treasure lies. After Legrand, Jupiter has moved to let the beetle ( Legrand the entire time as a divining the right hertrug ) fall through the eye socket of a skull, which is attached to a branch of the tree, Legrand determined miraculously ( and initially incorrect ) way the point of excavation. In the second trial, the group encounters actually a treasure.
In the second part of the story follows the resolution of the strange happenings. On the parchment itself (hence the confusion about the different type of drawing) was obviously a strange character code in invisible ink that was visible again by heat. Legrand deciphered this sign code that proved to be a guide to a hidden treasure of the pirate Captain Kidd. The fuss about the gold beetle itself is nothing more than an elaborate joke dar. Legrand on the outer level of the narrative
Interpretation
Poe was particularly interested in cryptanalysis during the period in which he wrote for the Weekly Messenger Alexander in Philadelphia. In a contest he challenged his readers to send him monoalphabetic secret writings that he would decrypt all. Many newspaper readers sent him their cryptograms and Poe succeeded to decipher it all. Poe also published theoretical writings on the subject of secret writing, and a short story that revolves around secret codes. The Gold Bug, by telling the story, is a find, which used the characters for the discovery of a treasure. At the same time the " Gold Bug " a contemporary debate in which it came to the introduction of paper money represents.
Interesting are the two levels of decryption: the lexical level by letter frequency and the semantic level. Literary scholars have the " Gold Bug " is understood in this context as a linguistic experiment with ambiguity. Even the potentially racist representation of Legrand's former slaves Jupiter has led to literary controversy. The power relationship between Jupiter and Legrand is complex in any case. On one hand, Jupiter is represented as naive and simple-minded and Legrand followed instructions without initiative ( and sometimes incorrect), on the other hand, he threatens to beat up his former master and worries ( sometimes even a father ) to his mental health.
Noteworthy is also the view expressed by some literary scholars thesis that in addition to the cryptogram Legrand hides a second code in the narrative. This second code is in the form of an alchemical allegory on the metaphorical level of the story and runs through the entire narrative. The Treasure Hunt of the characters transformed through this lens viewed in an alchemical experiment, the search for the Philosopher's Stone. Legrand becomes obsessed alchemist who strives not only for gold but also for wisdom and knowledge.
Formation
Poe already knew two literary adaptations of William Kidd substance: Washington Irving published in 1824 short story " The Devil and Tom Walker " and Robert Montgomery Bird 1836 published novel Sheppard Lee. He presented the " Gold Bug " at the Dollar Newspaper, since they had announced a competition and a price of $ 100 - the Poe finally won. A race condition was that the venue was America. Poe could begin his short story on Sullivan's Iceland, which he was able to describe accurately, since he was there 1827/1828 stationed as a soldier.
Poe later made minor changes to a few passages in the version of 1843, which were first printed in 1845 in an anthology of his stories.