In some collections of Poe’s short stories, The Gold-Bug is listed as a tale of ratiocination. Ratiocination is a fancy way of saying methodical and logical deduction.
The Stage is Set
Poe’s unnamed narrator begins by introducing the reader to an eccentric acquaintance. His friend is William LeGrand a poverty-stricken gentleman from an old Huguenot family. LeGrand lives a reclusive life on Sullivan’s Island near Charleston, SC with his black manservant, Jupiter. The old man spends most of his time wandering the island hunting, fishing, and collecting insects.
The narrator went to visit his friend on an unusually cold day. When the narrator arrives at his friend’s house, no one is home but there is a fire in the hearth. So the narrator lets himself in and enjoys the fire. Shortly after dark, LeGrand and Jupiter arrive. LeGrand is in a jubilant mood. He reports to his friend that he has found an unusual scarabaeus.
A Golden Scarab
LeGrand is anxious to show the beetle to his friend. However, he had lent it to a Lieutenant. He begins to describe the beetle, which is the size of a hickory nut, is brilliant gold, has two spots on one side of the back and a large oblong spot on the other side of the back. Jupiter mentions the extreme heaviness of the insect. LeGrand then sketches the beetle on a piece of parchment for his friend. Unfortunately, the narrator insults LeGrand by stating that the sketch resembled a skull.
When the narrator returns the paper to his friend, LeGrand looks at the image on the paper and becomes distracted. He spends an excessive amount of time examining it. Finally, he locks it in his writing desk. Initially, the narrator had intended to spend the night. However, after the sudden change in the demeanor of his host, he decides to leave.
An Unhealthy Change
The narrator doesn’t see his friend for a month, then Jupiter visits. Jupiter gives an account of LeGrand’s mental and physical health. He believes that LeGrand has been bitten by the gold-bug and is ill. He presents the narrator with a letter from LeGrand. In the letter, LeGrand asks that his friend come visit him that night concerning an issue of extreme importance.
The letter’s tone upsets the narrator who complies and returns to the island with Jupiter. On the way, the narrator notices that there is a scythe and three spades in the skiff. Jupiter says he purchased them at LeGrand’s instructions. On the island, the narrator finds LeGrand pale and distracted. LeGrand tells his friend that he believes he bug is made of solid gold and will help him restore his family fortune.
Treasure Hunt
The narrator is convinced that his friend is mad and seeks to calm him and encourage him to go to bed by stating that he believes LeGrand may have a fever. LeGrand challenges him to feel his pulse and the narrator finds that LeGrand is not feverish. However, the narrator persists in challenging his friend’s health.
LeGrand responds that he is as well as someone who is extremely excited can be and that if the narrator is truly concerned he will go with him to resolve the issue of his excitement.
The party of three start towards the mainland where, after two hours, they find themselves at a plateau. As the party travels, LeGrand swings the beetle around on the end of string leash. At the top of the plateau they find an enormous tulip tree.
LeGrand asks Jupiter if he can climb the tree. He insists that the black man carry the bug with him. The manservant complies. After receiving instructions from his master he finds himself on a dead, semi-rotten branch, confronted with a skull. LeGrand commands him to thread the beetle through the left-hand eye socket of the skull and let it down towards the ground.
LeGrand uses it as a marker and clears an area with the scythe. The three begin to dig. They find nothing and begin to leave. LeGrand quizzes Jupiter and discovers that the man had put the bug through the wrong eye socket.
After verifying a few facts, LeGrand marks a new location and begins to dig. Soon the men find two skeletons. Moments later they discover a chest full of treasure. It takes the rest of the night for the men to retrieve treasure and carry it to LeGrand’s hut. Once they are safely home, they inventory the treasure.
The Solution Revealed
After the inventory, LeGrand reveals how he had located the treasure. The entire discovery related to the parchment on which he had sketched the beetle. When the narrator had received it, he was sitting near the fire. Before he had a chance to examine it, LeGrand’s dog had come in and bathed his face. As a result, the paper had come perilously close to the fire. The proximity to heat initiated a chemical reaction on the parchment and had raised the image of the skull. After LeGrand realized what had created the image of the skull, he proceeded to test the paper and eventually revealed another image and a code that had been written in an invisible chemical.
LeGrand enjoyed figuring out ciphers and explains how he solves this particular cipher. He then describes how he decoded the directions so that he could pinpoint the location of Captain Kidd’s treasure.
The narrator was impressed by his friend’s skill. He asks LeGrand why he swung the insect around as if he were lunatic. LeGrand confessed he acted insane because he was annoyed that his friend doubted his sanity.
The narrator asks about the skeletons. LeGrand theorizes that Kidd did not want anyone to know the location of the treasure but that he had needed two men to help him bury it. Once he no longer needed their help, he killed them.
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