# The Foreign and the Occult in The Beetle

> Theme guide for The Beetle by Richard Marsh.

The Beetle is associated with ancient Egyptian mysticism and foreign, exotic horrors, reflecting Victorian anxieties about colonialism, the occult, and the unknown 'other' invading domestic English spaces.

## Where it surfaces

- [VII: The Great Paul Lessingham](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beetle_se/chapters/vii-the-great-paul-lessingham): Lessingham's allusion to the Rue de Rabagas and his fear of a past connected to foreign, occult experiences underscore the theme of the exotic and threatening.
- [A Morning Visitor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beetle_se/chapters/xii-a-morning-visitor): The visitor's Oriental appearance, claim to be a child of Isis, and mesmeric abilities embody the exotic and occult threat.
- [XVIII: The Apotheosis of the Beetle](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beetle_se/chapters/xviii-the-apotheosis-of-the-beetle): The Beetle is described as an Oriental figure with uncanny eyes and powers, linking foreignness to occult menace.
- [XXXI: The Terror by Day](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beetle_se/chapters/xxxi-the-terror-by-day): The Eastern carpet, the depiction of Isis and human sacrifice, and the beetle motif evoke foreign and occult elements that intrude into the familiar English setting.
- [After Twenty Years](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beetle_se/chapters/xxxiv-after-twenty-years): The Rue de Rabagas and the 'Woman of the Songs' represent an exotic, threatening foreign influence that continues to haunt Lessingham.
- [A Bringer of Tidings](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beetle_se/chapters/xxxv-a-bringer-of-tidings): The Beetle is referred to as an 'Oriental friend' and an 'infernal conjurer,' linking the threat directly to foreign and occult forces.
- [Miss Louisa Coleman](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beetle_se/chapters/xxxix-miss-louisa-coleman): The mysterious tenant, Mohamed el Kheir, is an 'Arab party' whose appearance, voice, and behavior are portrayed as alien and sinister, reinforcing the link between foreignness and occult menace.
- [XLII: The Quarry Doubles](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beetle_se/chapters/xlii-the-quarry-doubles): The Beetle's Arab disguise and his mysterious, unsettling presence highlight themes of foreignness and occult influence.
- [XLIII: The Murder at Mrs. ’Enderson’s](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beetle_se/chapters/xliii-the-murder-at-mrs-enderson-s): The Beetle is described as a 'diabolical Asiatic' and linked to an idolatrous sect in Cairo, reinforcing the theme of foreign occult menace.
- [XLV: All That Mrs. ’Enderson Knew](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beetle_se/chapters/xlv-all-that-mrs-enderson-knew): The 'Harab party' is portrayed as a mysterious, foreign figure with strange habits, a large bundle, and a queer way of talking, embodying the occult and alien threat central to the novel.
- [The Sudden Stopping](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beetle_se/chapters/xlvi-the-sudden-stopping): The Beetle is described as an 'Arab' with a bundle, reinforcing his exotic and menacing otherness.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beetle_se/themes/the_foreign_and_the_occult
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_beetle_se/themes