How do you believe that Poe represents conformity within The Murders in the Rue Morgue/The Purlioned letter? Do you believe that he simply does not conform? What evidence would you use to substantiate your claim?

-- Anonymous, May 21, 2003

Answers

There is a divided madness in this question that Poe might appreciate- if he could understand it. Poe "represents" or presents? Conformity in what? I would think in both stories he takes great pains in showing how mysteries are made and broken depending on whether one sticks to the common forms of thought or is more inutitvely intelligent to dig out the truth by setting aside all such prejudices. In the first mystery his companion is a common man foil for the genius of Dupin. The crowd giving evidence of the noises of murder they heard all differ except they all relay what they EXPECT normally(man killing women). The failure of conformity is shown in the misinterpretations of each audible witness. Dupin sorts it out by eliminating the presupposition entirely and dealing with the very differences themselves. Working backwards, removing the presuppositon.

In The Purloined Letter, he must break through the common method and straightforward thought of the thorough police who tear apart the room and fail to find the stolen letter. In great detail Dupin expalins the kind of thinking that must get inside the man who is NOT conforming to the typical thief around whom the police general method is based.

-- Anonymous, May 22, 2003