The Purloined Letter by Edgar Allan Poe

October 15, 2009 bethanyvball12

      When I first read this story it sounded all too familiar. So many times in different situations people will go and search every detail and analyze every little thing when what they are looking for is right under their nose. This reminds me of when I play tunnel tag or freeze tag. Sometimes, even if I am not tagged, I will just stand there and the people who are it will run past me and right around me over looking me just because I am not running. So theyre assuming if I’m not tagged I should be running.

        The story is based around finding a stolen letter which is being used for blackmail. Monsieur who brings up the matter, has a clue or a gut feeling that the matter is simple, and yet still puzzling of where this letter is. Dupin takes his suggestion and runs with it proposing to go about searching for the letter in the simple, obvious way. Dupin is not taken seriously and this is found odd to the Monsieur. They dismiss his comment and continue on explaining the description of how the letter is stolen. I found this funny because they had obviously called in Dupin because he is a good detective who had solved many mysteries. The stories starts off describing how he had solved two previous mysteries. Although they trust and respect Duppin I thought they were awful quick to dismiss his suggestion to look at the obvious. After weeks of searching, and the reward being doubled Dupin went into the apartment and found a half-torn letter in a cheap card rack hanging from a dirty ribbon. He noticed it didn’t resemble the letter but unlike the other, did not immediately dismiss it. He finally found the letter he was looking for which was slightly altered and refolded. Dupin knew that the detectives assumed the blackmailer was a stupid poet and instead would resort to hiding the letter in an elaborate hiding place not disguised. As the saying goes…”Assuming makes an ass out of you and me”

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