Differences in characters	Similarities in characters	Differences in characters
"The Gold Bug"	<------------------------->	"The Murders in Rue Morgue"
*A tropical inhabitant *Boarderline madman  *Obsessed *American with American friend *Southern heritage *intrigued by fortune Retrieved April 19, 2004 from  http://office.microsoft.com/clipart/	*Determined to solve mystery *Possess high level logical thinking skills *Intelligent *Poor background	*Gentleman *Supernatural abilities *French *intrigued by suspense *obviously  educated *reader and analyst Retrieved April 19, 2004 from  http://office.microsoft.com/clipart/

When thinking about the short stories, "The Gold Bug" and "The Murders in Rue Morgue," I made a delightful comparison--the main characters remind me of Monk--USA television's detective story.  Although the comparison relates to Dupin in the latter short story, characteristics to both can be drawn. Monk is a detective with an eye for mystery.  He suffers from an obsessive compulsive disorder.  His disorders lead him to solve impossible mysteries because he has a supernatural ability to sense happenings.  Similarly, Dupin can solve crimes through his sense of details.  His explanations seem obvious.  Poe set Dupin's story up like an interview.  The reader is allowed to take a glimpse into the detective's mind while he solves the crime.  In "The Gold Bug," readers see an obsessed victim of greed.  His logical thinking ability is obvious as he solves a puzzle to solve the story of a pirate's mysterious buried treasure.
 
 
 

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