Harpoon Gun

Harpoon Gun
General Information
Type	Weapon
Purpose	Attacking or self-defense
Users	Jacquelyn Scieszka Esmé Squalor Carmelita Spats Count Olaf Ishmael
Behind the Scenes
Appearances	The Vile Village The Penultimate Peril The End
Adaptation Appearances	Netflix Adaptation: The Reptile Room: Part Two, The Vile Village: Part Two, The Penultimate Peril: Part One, The Penultimate Peril: Part Two, The End

“	Is that a harpoon gun?	”
	— Mr. Poe in The Vile Village: Part Two, Count Olaf in The Reptile Room: Part Two

A harpoon gun is a weapon which has a recurring role in the book and TV series versions of A Series of Unfortunate Events. The TV series implies it is some sort of traditional V.F.D. weapon, as its eye insignia can be seen on one in The Vile Village: Part Two.

A harpoon gun is a gunlike weapon which shoots long, pointed, spear-like arrows upon the trigger being pulled. Being shot by a harpoon gun is, generally, an unpleasant experience for most people, as it usually involves physical pain, bleeding, and potential organ puncture. It is a long range weapon due to the size of the projectiles the gun shoots and the distance it can shoot.

Usages

In A Series of Unfortunate Events, the harpoon gun appears various times:

• In the Netflix adaptation of The Reptile Room, it is used by Jacquelyn Scieszka, a member of V.F.D., to threaten Count Olaf aboard the Prospero.
• In The Vile Village, it was used by Esmé Squalor in the alias of Officer Luciana to destroy the ladder on Hector's self-sustaining hot air mobile home, as well as the Quagmires' research. Though a crow was injured in the process causing the villagers to get angry with Officer Luciana as well as the fact that she used a mechanical device in violation of the rules.
• In The Penultimate Peril, a harpoon gun is intended to be used on the roof of Hotel Denouement to shoot down a V.F.D. crow to obtain The Sugar Bowl. As part of her concierge disguise, Violet Baudelaire has little choice but to give it to Carmelita Spats as part of her disguise. Count Olaf takes it from Carmelita and threatens to kill Dewey Denouement. The Baudelaires beg him not to, he forfeits it when surprised by Arthur Poe, and tosses it into the Baudelaires' hands. They accidentally drop it and it fires, killing Dewey. Its sound wakes up the other hotel patrons.
  • It is implied that a harpoon gun kills Arthur Poe. Lemony Snicket says "it wasn't Mr. Poe's destiny to be killed by a harpoon gun, at least not on this evening in particular." This could mean that Mr. Poe will eventually be killed by a harpoon gun on a different occasion, or that he simply did not die on this particular evening.
• In The End, on the Island, it was used by Ishmael to lethally wound a "pregnant" Count Olaf, who would later succumb to this wound. However, in doing so, Ishmael poisoned the Islanders with the Medusoid Mycelium.

Trivia

• In real life harpoon guns are a weapon used to kill sea creatures such as whales.
• The common motif of harpoon guns may also be a reference to Moby Dick, In where The Ishmael (Moby Dick) owns a harpoon gun and a harpoon gun is used to kill the whale.

Gallery

Spearing the Quagmires' research in The Vile Village.

Ishmael about to kill Count Olaf in the Russian version of The End.

Jacquelyn threatening Count Olaf with a harpoon gun.

Officer Luciana wielding a harpoon gun.

Olaf aiming a harpoon gun at Dewey and the Baudelaires.

Olaf threatening Justice Strauss with a harpoon gun.

Ishmael about to kill Olaf.