Literature has been used to confront social issues as a way to focus attention on
cultural problems and point out flaws in society. Gothic literature in particular is skilled
at describing the darker aspects of culture, forcing readers to consider their own part in
societal issues. Gothic writings reflect the problems in society at the time they are
written, and the truth found in those pieces is what carries their relevance into modern
times. Edgar Allen Poe’s short story “Hop Frog” puts a spotlight on slavery, still relevant
in its importance to modern society. “Hop Frog” is social commentary on the
dehumanization of slaves by stripping them of their past, tormenting them, and forcing
them into cruelty.
Poe’s feelings on slavery seem unclear for most of his life. As a southern
gentleman, he neither defends nor vocally disapproves of slavery. Most of his works
concentrate on other dilemmas of the human existence, featuring insanity and death. His
short story Hop-Frog, however, fixates on the horrors that slaves must endure. His dwarf
character shares all the hallmarks of slaves in the American market, the first of which
being stripped of a homeland. Hop-Frog “had been forcibly carried off from their
respective homes in adjoining provinces, and sent as presents to the king, by one of his
ever-victorious generals.” (Poe 216) The slaves sent to America were part of a massive
trans-Atlantic economic institution, losing their history to the transplanted life they were
forced into. “Between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries, upwards of 12 million slaves
were taken from the continent of Africa.”(Slave Trade 3) African-American citizens in
modern America have trouble or find it impossible to locate their own family history,
since few records were kept of the traumatic removal from Africa. Slaves imported had
no way to escape back to a homeland, and were disconnected from their familial past.
The remarkable similarity between the two situations brings the idea of American slavery
to the reader’s mind through the story of Hop-Frog. The parallel between Hop-Frog and
African-American slaves makes the reader consider the horrific conditions both were
placed under.
Hop-Frog was not only removed from his home territory, but he was also tortured
at the hands of the king as a plaything. His pain was entertainment for the king and his
cabinet members, who delighted in making him suffer from “madness” with wine
(Poe__). He was subject to their whim, as the king had complete control over his life. He
was threatened with not only personal pain, but injury done to his dearest friend,
Trippetta, which kept him from any blatant rebellion. Similarly, slaves in the United
States were completely subject to their owners’ wishes, which created states of horrific
torture on a daily basis. “The slaves were kept under inhuman conditions including being
branded with hot irons and restrained with chains or shackles.” (Trans Atlantic Slave
Trade) Those who resisted suffered from the loss or injury of loved ones. Slaves were
flogged, shot, or beaten if they showed signs of rebellion or disrespect to their master,
just as the king physically abused Hop-Frog. Verbal taunts likewise were used to put
down both Hop-Frog and American slaves. The two situations are so similar, it forces the
reader to consider Hop-Frog as not just an unfortunate character, but in fact a symbol of a
larger problem of slavery.
Hop-Frog is not just a blameless victim, however, as the story concludes with the
gruesome deaths of the king and his cabinet as Hop-Frog and Trippetta escape. The small
man was forced into the darkest parts of his person, driven to his own cruelty by the
cruelty of the man who “owned” him. Hop-Frog was not selfish, seeking revenge for
purely his own sake, rather, he only acted when the king injured his defenseless friend.
Likewise, imported slaves forced into hard labor committed vicious acts in response to
the treatment they received from their “owners,” escaping when possible or the health of
themselves and their loved ones. African-Americans at the time were considered “outside
the boundary in which moral values, rules, and considerations of fairness apply” (Not Yet
Human 2) so mistreatment was viewed as normal and perfectly fine, leading to cruelty
from owners and retaliation from slaves. The gothic technique of writing to show the
dark aspects of society highlights the disturbing acts from both parties in slavery. Their
humanity and compassion was lost because of the dehumanizing and dreadful ways they
were treated. Hop-Frog lost his humanity in killing the king and his advisors, just like the
slaves forced into violence and criminal acts in self-defense.
Poe’s stories normally note the darker aspects of the human experience, looking
into insanity and death. He notes in “Hop-Frog” the twisted human experience created by
the institution of slavery, by demonstrating the horrific conditions slaves had with a
symbolic character. The parallels between Hop-Frog and African-American slaves are
too strong to suggest an alternative. Poe’s use of symbolism is a classic example of gothic
literature as a vehicle for societal critique.