Comparing The Superior And Inferior Sorts Of Hop-Frog

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The Superior and Inferior Sorts of Hop-Frog Edgar Allen Poe truly earned the title as “Master of the Macabre”. He added such clear details to such short works and it still leaves the reader with the deep gruesome feeling within oneself is astounding. One story in particular that imparts these sensation would be the tale of “Hop-Frog”. In the story we meet a king and his council of seven as the king is arranging for a masquerade ball. We are told that the king loves jokes, practical jokes more so than verbal jokes, and that he still has a court jester. His court jester is very particular though, for he is a crippled dwarf named Hop-Frog. The king also possesses another dwarf, a beautiful woman named Trippetta. Before the ball begins, the king and his council wish …show more content…
Their actions that night seem to be too much for Hop-Frog to suffer through any longer, so he gives the men the idea of dressing as “ourang-outangs”. He covers the men in tar and flax and chains them together, making them look like wild beasts. The king and his men enter the ball and give the people a scare and a laugh, but suddenly the tables turn and they are hoisted up high by the chandelier. In the midst of the confusion, people can see Hop-Frog climbing up the chandelier chain with a torch. He reveals who the men are as he drops the torch on the men, burning them alive as he climbs up the chain and escapes. He and Trippetta are never seen again. The story presents the idea that no matter how hard the king and his men try to make Hop-Frog feel substandard, it is really them and their lifestyle that are inferior. While Hop-Frog is presented as inferior due to his size and disability, in all actuality he is the superior character because he is able to transcend his own limitations, the king and his ministers take Hop-Frog’s disabilities for granted and therefore are unable to transcend their limitations, and certain moments of symbolism and allusion show which