The Gold Bug

On one level, the eponymous gold bug is a symbol of new opportunity and prosperity. When Legrand discovers the scarabaeus, he proclaims that it is a “totally new” species, calling it “the loveliest thing in creation” (8). Poe pays a lot of attention to detailing the beetle’s appearance, especially it’s coloring, which emits a “brilliant metallic luster” (9). At the start of the story, the bug appears as almost magical or supernatural. Characters repeatedly refer to the beetle’s unusual shade of gold, with Legrand describing it as “a brilliant gold color” (8), and the narrator saying it has “all the appearance of burnished gold” (14). The luminescent appearance of the bug symbolizes wealth and promise, with Legrand viewing the bug as auspicious of the return of his former fortune, claiming it will “reinstate me in my family possessions” (14).

Jupiter, whom Poe portrays as unintelligent, conflates the appearance of gold with the substance of gold. Jupiter is convinced that the gold bug is “solid, ebery bit of him, inside and all, sep him wing —neber feel half so hebby a bug in my life” (9). However, Poe reinforces the