On the Images of Animal in“The Murders in the Rue Morgue”

Abstract Edgar Allan Poe is a pioneer of American Romanticism in the early 19th century. He has created many meaningful animal images in his stories and poems which implicates his perspectives. The Ourang-outang in "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" is one of them. This paper tries to analyze the Ourang-outang from three aspects including the victim of human cruelty, pursuer of freedom and accuser of the slavery. Captured by the sailor and locked wounded in a closet reflects the Ourang-outang is a victim. Ourang-outang’s struggle and its revenge on people during its run is the expression of pursuing freedom. The suggestion of razor and its destiny from being captured to being sold reflects the Ourang-outang is an accuser of the slavery. This paper attempts to analyze the image of Ourang-outang to show Poe’s views on slavery and help the readers to have a better understanding of Poe’s works and his perspectives embodied. 58283

Keywords: Allan Poe; "The Murders in the Rue Morgue"; animal images; slavery

《摩尔格街凶杀案》中动物形象分析

摘要爱伦坡是19世纪初期美国早期浪漫主义文学的先驱者。他在许多诗歌与小说作品中创造了赋予深意的动物意象并以此来表达他的观点。而《摩尔格街凶杀案》中的大猩猩正是其中一个动物意象。本文从“凶残人性下的受害者”，“追求自由者”与“奴隶制的控诉者”这三方面来解读故事中大猩猩的形象。被水手捕获并重伤关押密室的过程表现大猩猩是“凶残人性下的受害者”。“追求自由者”由大猩猩的挣扎以及它逃跑过程中对人类的报复来表现。剃须刀的含义以及大猩猩从被捕到被卖的过程表现它是“奴隶制的控诉者”。 本文通过对该小说中大猩猩的解读，展示爱伦•坡对奴隶制的观点，帮助读者更好地理解他的作品及其中蕴含的思想。

毕业论文关键词：爱伦•坡；《摩尔格街凶杀案》；动物形象；奴隶制

Contents

1. Introduction 2

1.1 Background of the Study 2

1.2 Literature Review 2

1.3 Significance of the Study 5

1.4 Structure of the Study 5

2. The Function of Animal Images in Poe’s Works 5

2.1 Catalyst for Horrible Atmosphere 5

2.2 Reflection of the Mental World of People 7

3. Animal Images in "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" 8

3.1 Victim of Human Cruelty 8

3.2 Pursuer of Freedom 9

3.3 Accuser of the Slavery 10

3.3.1 Representative of the Black 10

3.3.2 Accusation of the Slavery 11

4. Conclusion 12

References 13

1. Introduction

Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, literary critic, editor and poet, considered an important member of the American Romantic Movement. Poe was one of the earliest American authors of the short story, and is generally regarded as the inventor of the detective fiction. “He made contributions to science fiction and was the first outstanding American writer to try to make a living through writing”（Stableford, 2003:18）.His most recurring themes deal with questions of death, including its physical signs, the effects of decomposition, concerns of premature burial, the reanimation of the dead, and mourning. Many of his works are generally considered part of the dark romanticism genre, a literary reaction to transcendentalism, which Poe strongly disliked. “Poe is best known for the tales of mystery and the macabre like "The Murders in the Rue Morgue", "The Tell-Tale Heart" and the narrative poem "The Raven". All of these works, and his many others, revolve around horror, angst and abhorrence”（Neimeyer, 2002:206）. 《摩尔格街凶杀案》中动物形象分析:http://www.youerw.com/yingyu/lunwen_50705.html