Maybe it is just me but there seems to be a little bit of a glitch in The Gold Bug. The entire time that the narrator is travelling with Mr. Legrand and Jupiter he seems to be thinking of how nuts Mr. Legrand is for taking the three (and the dog) on this journey. Then, once they reach their destination and Jupiter finally makes his way to the end of the seventh branch to discover the skull nailed to it, the narrator seems to be just as convinced of Mr. Legrands insanity as he was at the beginning of their journey. Why is this? Doesn't the revelation of the skull show that Mr. Legrand has a legitimate reason for taking them to this tree in the middle of nowhere? The narrator makes no notice of the discovery of this skull. Also - what is the significance of the dog?? Yeah, he barks a little here and there but why is the dog a part of this story?

-- Anonymous, January 31, 2000