Analysis Of The Alchemist's Secret By Arthur Gordon

Arthur Gordon creates an ironic twist at the end of “The Alchemist’s Secret” by making the setting and mood of the story a complete opposite from the ending. The setting of the story is innocent enough, with a “little herb shop” on a “crooked street in the shadow of Notre Dame”. The words “gaslit shop” connotate an old fashioned (or, in the case of this story, just old) and cozy room. It is shocking to the reader when it is uncovered that the store is where the Doctor arranges to kill people for a living. Once the reader becomes accustomed to that idea, the visitor is viewed as a cold, cruel person. Although initially he is nervous, (“said the visitor nervously”, glanced around uneasily”) he is found to be ruthless. “The visitor’s face was