Burwick’s article focuses on the picturesque, the arabesque, and the grotesque that can establish that visual image of emotions. Burwick defines the picturesque as the natural scene composed as the picture (427). The naturalness in the story is the animal-like walk that Hop-Frog has acquired that sets him apart from the other people within the story. Burwick notes that Poe often writes about the orangutans and their natural nature that is so evil, this relates to the African American slaves that Poe found to be dangerous. These slaves could switch from sweet people to killers in an instant. Poe also sees deformities as mental aberration (429).
Hop-Frog is not attractive, but it is his mental state that puts him into this grotesque view. For example, the teeth grinding he does to calm his anger is emphasized through the description of his fang like teeth. Hop-Frog is seen unequal to those around him not only due to his social class, but also due to his appearance. Hop-Frog does not carry himself with respect, and that could lead to his mental instability. He wants to get revenge on those that do not see him as he wishes to be seen. Tripetta is not the most beautiful person and is often seen as grotesque; however, it was not as horrible as Hop-Frog was described. She also hid her…show more content… The use of the African American critique delves deeper into the characters within the story. The use of information about Poe’s life also opens up an interpretation as to what he was getting at when he wrote these stories. In “Hop-Frog” the King is the oppressor just like the slave owners were the ones to oppress the slaves or the main characters within the text. The depiction of the main characters is also analyzed, since Poe tied the evil masks of the slaves to the cruel creatures behind said masks. The classic story of revenge is not only the idea that slaves freedom is dangerous, but also that slaves are not to be
