Hop-Frog

by Edgar Allen Poe

• ISBN10: 1514826631
• ISBN13: 9781514826638
• Publish Date: 4 July 2015 (first published 11 July 2014)
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 36
• Language: English

Reviews

I wouldn't have known about Hop-Frog if I didn't have to read it for school. This is the first time I had read something by Edgar Allan Poe and I was impressed.

Hop-Frog is a cripple, a dwarf and a jester for a cruel and tyrannical king who loves jokes, especially at the expense of others. Hop-Frog and another servant, Trippetta, is abused and belittled by the king. Hop-Frog then decides to carry out a plan of revenge on the king.

Hop-Frog is quite a horrific story. It has a dark and creepy medieval atmosphere. However, much of the darkness comes from the aspects that this story has such as revenge, dehumanization, evil and death. All of the unimaginable evils in this story are carried out by human beings and seeing the darkness of human nature, made Hop-Frog even more terrifying.

At first, I could sympathize with Hop-Frog and Trippetta, due to my dislike for the cruel king, but at the end of the story, I found Hop-Frog to be an unsympathetic monster who was no different from the king. Hop-Frog also showed how coming into contact with darkness influences people to choose darkness over light.

I don't know how a short story evoked an interest in the characters and strong emotions from me, but it did.

This horror of a story is not for the faint of heart!