Arthur Poe

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Arthur Poe
A Series of Unfortunate Events character
Arthur Poe, as drawn by Brett Helquist
Gender	Male
Hair color	Brown
Age	"Middle-aged"
Film actor	Timothy Spall
First appearance	The Bad Beginning
V.F.D. alliance	None

Arthur Poe (usually referred to as simply Mr. Poe) is a fictional character from the A Series of Unfortunate Events book series by Lemony Snicket. He is a banker in charge of the affairs of the Baudelaire orphans. He was their guardian for a short time in The Bad Beginning before it was arranged the Baudelaires would go and live with Count Olaf. His incompetence and self-centeredness in a position of authority make him an instance of the Pointy Haired Boss stock character. He has a wife, Polly, and two children, Edgar and Albert, but they appear only in the first book. He also has a recurring cough in every book, stated by the first book to be because he always seemed to have a cold.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

In the The Bad Beginning, Mr. Poe is said to be a family friend of the Baudelaires and pays frequent visits to the Baudelaires, which enable them to recognize him the moment they see him. Although his fiduciary responsibility is to help the Baudelaires, he is rarely helpful, due to his obliviousness, as well as his focus on his banking career rather than the Baudelaires' well-being. Though the Baudelaires are very obviously smarter than him, he dismisses everything they say as the ramblings of little children. Some fans of the series believe that Poe is being deliberately unhelpful -- that is, he is actually a villain (some think he is actually a member of V.F.D., although there is no evidence in the books to suggest this).

Timothy Spall as Mr. Poe in the 2004 film.

Poe's employer is Mulctuary Money Management. The word "mulct" means "to embezzle funds." This has also led to speculation that Poe is after the Baudelaire fortune, and has purposely placed them in peril. Others believe it is merely a satirical comment on the general perception of banks.

The reasons for Mr. Poe's cough has been a source of speculation for some fans of the series; however, in The Bad Beginning, it is stated that his cough is because he always has a cold; in addition, in the Unauthorized Autobiography, Poe's sister Eleanora mentions that he has had his cough since they were children.

In several of the books, he seems to be very excited about receiving a promotion. His title at Mulctuary Money Management in The Bad Beginning is not stated, but at the start of The Miserable Mill, while on a train to Paltryville, he announces to the children that he is now Vice President in charge of Coins. Then in the sixth book in the series, The Ersatz Elevator, he becomes Vice President in Charge of Orphan Affairs. Esmé Squalor deems him an "unstylish banker". Since then, he loses touch with the Baudelaires until a brief appearance of him in end of The Grim Grotto on Briny Beach, right before the Baudelaires meet Kit Snicket.

Mr. Poe was staying at the Hotel Denouement- investigating the robbery of his bank by Mrs. Bass - when it was burnt down during The Penultimate Peril, but it is unknown whether he escaped. Also, some people believe he is killed or will be killed with a harpoon gun, with evidence drawn from The Penultimate Peril - Snicket says "it wasn't Mr. Poe's destiny to be killed by a harpoon gun, at least not this evening in particular." This could mean that Mr. Poe will be killed by a harpoon gun on some other occasion, but it may refer to the fact that he just failed to die on this occasion, or merely be Lemony Snicket's pessimistic writing style - the books offer no further information.

In The End, Poe does not appear, but an islander called Sadie seems to know Mr. Poe and of his occupation, and Count Olaf reveals that Poe had adoption paper hidden under his hat at some point after his promotion to Vice President in Charge of Orphan Affairs (which occurs before the start of The Ersatz Elevator); Mr. Poe is implied in rare edition of The Bad Beginning to have something hidden under his hat. Olaf also mentions that "at the time" Mr. Poe was better known under his stage name, implying that Poe also works as an actor - unless it was a different person named Mr. Poe who also happened to have held the same rank (not unlikely, as The End features numerous such shared names and coincidences). This adds some mystery to Mr. Poe, though it is tempered by his clueless personality, and the fact that these loose ends are never explained nor given particular significance.

[edit] Film portrayal

Though Poe remains a buffoon in the film, he never says anything explicitly patronizing, though his patronizing attitude is implied. Nor does he cough.