Poe's Stories brief biography of edgar allan poe



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Edgar-Allen-Poe-Short-Stories-Unlocked
Short Story By Flannery OConnor
The revelation of the Ourang-Outan as the long-awaited answer to
the riddle is a bit of an anticlimax, having been lead to believe by
Dupin’s suspenseful storytelling that the criminal was a paranormal
figure. Yet seeing all Dupin’s puzzle pieces fit together flawlessly
makes him look even more impressive and unusual himself. In the
absence of a superhuman threat, Dupin becomes the exotic
specimen. The wide range of his expertise is shown here. We are
reminded that he reads voraciously and has many areas of
knowledge to draw upon when making his analysis.
The narrator of "Rue-Morgue" wonders how Dupin knows already that the sailor is from a Maltese vessel. Again, Dupin has made a series of educated guesses, having found a ribbon on the lightning rod outside that he recognizes as being used by
Maltese sailors and knotted in a Maltese fashion. He thinks that no harm can come of placing the ad – either the sailor will assume that the writer has made an error about the Maltese vessel or he will see himself described perfectly. And he will be sure to answer the ad, in order to protect his innocence.
Dupin’s often reclusive existence in Paris, secretly policing the
streets, is paired with abroad, worldly knowledge, but we know very
little about Dupin’s past and the origins of his insights are mysteries.
Though the focus of the investigation is this sailor, the focus of the
narrative again turns to Dupin and the enigma that surrounds his
unusual qualities.
They hear someone enter, and they ready the pistols. They hear the sailor come hesitantly up the stairs and knock on the door of the chamber. The man has a sailor’s appearance, muscular and hardy, and greets them in a French accent. Dupin pleasantly invites him in and compliments him on the species that has brought him here.
The placement of pistols in the scene, and the gradual approach of
the sailor, heightens the suspense, but Dupin’s cordial tone and the
strange release of this pent-up tension when he reaches the room is
a disconcerting twist.
The sailor seems worried when Dupin asks how old the animal is. He says he can’t be sure. Dupin pretends to have stored the animal nearby and to be sorry to say goodbye to it, but the sailor, eager to get the animal back, says he is prepared to offer a handsome reward. Dupin chooses for his reward to know everything possible about the murders. He has begun pleasantly, but these words come as a threat, and he produces his pistol. The sailor is suitably terrified but Dupin calmly assures him that he trusts he is almost entirely innocent of the murders, but that he surely knows a great deal more than the police and it is his responsibility to tell all he knows – there is more sense in honesty than concealment.
Dupin’s abilities to be both poetic and mathematical also
correspond to a contrasting set of manners. Dupin can easily switch
between kindness and menace in away that makes us distrust both
postures. He has sympathy for the young sailor and knows how
badly he wants to be absolved of the crime but in order to get the
truth from the sailor he needs to judge the conversation perfectly
and use just the right amount of cruelty in his tone.
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Page 40

The sailor tells his story, how he voyaged to Borneo, and with a shipmate, captured an Ourang-Outang, but the shipmate died and left him alone with the ape. With much care, he lodged it with him in Paris, but one night, after the sailor had been out drinking, he returned home to find the beast out of its cage and imitating his shaving routine. He tries to whip the Ourang-
Outang, but this only frightens the animal and it escapes. A
chase ensues for hours, until, very late, the sailor comes to the
Madames’ apartment and sees just what Dupin foretold – the ape entered the room using the lightning rod. The sailor followed but got stuck on the rod and could only peer into the room at the catastrophe inside. He witnessed the whole event,
each scream of the mother and daughter frightening and enraging the animal more, until it spotted its master and guiltily concealed the bodies, one in the fireplace and one out of the window.

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