The Reptile Room

“The stretch of road that leads out of the city, past Hazy Harbor and into the town of Tedia, is perhaps the most unpleasant in the world. It is called Lousy Lane. Lousy Lane runs through fields that are a sickly gray color, in which a handful of scraggly trees produce apples so sour that one only has to look at them to feel ill. Lousy Lane traverses the Grim River, a body of water that is nine-tenths mud and that contains extremely unnerving fish, and it encircles a horseradish factory, so the entire area smells bitter and strong.

I am sorry to tell you that this story begins with the Baudelaire orphans traveling along this most displeasant road, and that from this moment on, the story only gets worse. Of all the people in the world who live miserable lives–and, as I’m sure you know, there are quite a few–the Baudelaire youngsters take the cake, a phrase which here means that more horrible things have happened to them than just about anybody.”

Many gothic novels begin with a description of a gloomy scene that evokes a spooky or melancholy atmosphere. Words like “lousy,” “unpleasant,” “grim,” “sickly gray,” and “bitter” contribute to this effect, setting the stage for the gloomy events to come in the novel. Here, Lemony Snicket also announces his presence as an active narrator who will be commenting and speaking directly to the reader throughout the story. He also introduces his habit of defining vocabulary words and explaining figurative language that he uses throughout the text, which plays into the value generally placed on knowledge throughout the series and the importance of truly understanding what one perceives.

“Mr. Poe, who led the way, didn’t seem to notice the hedges at all, possibly because he was busy coaching the children on how to behave. ‘Now, Klaus, don’t ask too many questions right away. Violet, what happened to the ribbon in your hair? I thought you looked very distinguished in it. And somebody please make sure Sunny doesn’t bite Dr. Montgomery. That wouldn’t be a very good first impression.’”

Mr. Poe’s inability to notice the strange snake-shaped hedges foreshadows his general inability to recognize danger or Count Olaf’s lurking presence throughout the series. He is more focused on criticizing the children’s behavior, which illustrates how he always fails to take them seriously or to see their traits for what they are: strengths that help them survive. His criticisms also highlight the vulnerability of children, as Mr. Poe urges them to behave more like adults or, at the least, to be nothing more than pleasant and silent.