The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket Note Summary & Analysis

The note explains that the recent accidental death of Arthur Gordon Pym also destroyed the final chapters of his manuscript. Dirk Peters, for his part, cannot currently be found, but is known to be living in Illinois. A polar expedition currently being prepared will verify Pym’s claims about the South Pole, but Edgar Allan Poe has his own theory about the markings on the wall in the cave on Tsalal. Poe believes they may indeed have been written script, as they correspond exactly to the phrases “To be shady” in ancient Ethiopian, “to be white” in ancient Arabic, and “the region of the south” in ancient Egyptian. Poe also notes that how nothing white grew on Tsalal, and he wonders if more discoveries about the etymology of the Tsalalians’ words await.

This note explains away the lack of a real ending to the story—and prevents anyone from questioning its truthfulness—by declaring that Pym is dead and the final chapters are lost forever. The existence but inaccessibility of Dirk Peters suggests that the events of the novel could be proven as true, but for now readers will simply have to trust the narrative. Poe then suggests his own theories, inspired by the real-life Poe’s enthusiasm for etymology, ancient languages, and codes. By noting that the cave inscriptions of Tsalal resemble several ancient languages, he suggests that maybe the Tsalalians are descended from Biblical times—and that the opposition between White and Black in the novel is no accident.

Active Themes

The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket: Note Summary & Analysis