The Dunwich Horror by H. P. Lovecraft
"The Dunwich Horror" is a short story by H. P. Lovecraft that delves into themes of supernatural horror and cosmic dread. Set in the fictional rural town of Dunwich, the narrative follows the chilling life of Wilbur Whateley, whose birth is marked by strange phenomena, including ominous sounds and unusual animal behavior. Wilbur grows up under the influence of his bizarre family, particularly his grandfather, Old Whateley, a practitioner of dark magic. As Wilbur matures, he exhibits grotesque characteristics and engages in sinister rituals, hinting at a connection to otherworldly entities.
The story intensifies when Wilbur, now a towering figure with monstrous traits, seeks forbidden knowledge from the Necronomicon, a notorious grimoire. His quest ultimately leads to catastrophic consequences, as an even greater horror is unleashed from the Whateley farm. The climax features an invisible monster wreaking havoc in the area, prompting Dr. Henry Armitage, a scholar, to confront the threat with ancient incantations. The narrative culminates at Sentinel Hill, where the true nature of the horror is revealed, intertwining the fates of Wilbur and the entity that has emerged. Lovecraft's work is a cornerstone of horror literature, exploring the boundaries of human understanding and the terror of the unknown.
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The Dunwich Horror by H. P. Lovecraft
First published: 1929
Type of plot: Horror
Time of work: 1913-1928
Locale: "Dunwich," Massachusetts
Principal Characters:
Old Whateley , an elderly Dunwich resident suspected of sorceryLavinia Whateley , his daughterWilbur , her sonDr. Henry Armitage , the librarian at Miskatonic University
The Story
The birth of Wilbur Whateley in Dunwich is obviously an ominous event. On the night he is born, strange noises rumble through the hills, all the dogs in the vicinity continuously bark, and a hideous screaming is heard. In fact, the whole Whateley family is rather bizarre. Lavinia, Wilbur's mother, is a deformed, unattractive albino. Lavinia's father, Old Whateley, is feared by the local populace for his practice of black magic, while the father of Wilbur is completely unknown.
This ominous note continues as the child grows. Wilbur is described as "goatish" in appearance, although he possesses the Whateley trademark of a chinless face. He can already walk at the age of seven months and talks at eleven months. He is very particular about keeping his body well covered with clothes, unlike the rest of the Whateleys. Every May Eve and Halloween, the boy and his mother are seen going up to the top of Sentinel Hill and apparently practicing weird rites, to the accompaniment of bursts of flame and underground rumblings.
At the same time, the boy's grandfather has been playing an active part in his development. He teaches the boy ancient lore, incantations, and formulas from the old books that he keeps. He continuously buys cattle with a never-ending supply of ancient gold pieces, yet the size of his herd never increases. He also feverishly rebuilds the second floor of the house and constructs a wooden ramp leading up to it from the ground. The few visitors to the house are invariably disturbed by extremely odd noises upstairs.
After Old Whateley dies and his daughter disappears, there is a shift of scene, as Lovecraft affords the reader a view of Wilbur, now fourteen years old and eight feet tall, resembling a huge, dark gargoyle, at the library of Miskatonic University in Arkham, hurriedly copying some missing formulas that he needs out of a rare book, the Necronomicon. The alert librarian, Dr. Henry Armitage, reading the Latin text over Wilbur's shoulder, sees references to the Old Ones, beings who apparently are ready to "break through" and destroy the earth. He associates this with the mysterious happenings in Dunwich and the dim, hideous aura of Wilbur, and he immediately refuses him further access to the book.
There now occurs the first climax of the story, which serves as a preview of the real Dunwich horror, which the reader has yet to see. Wilbur is desperate to get the formula he needs, although he seems fearful of being away from the farm for too long for some reason. He finally breaks into the library in an attempt to steal the book, but he is killed by the watchdog. As he lies on the floor with his clothes torn away, Dr. Armitage sees him as the monster he really is—tentacles with red, sucking mouths protruding from his stomach. Dr. Armitage and the reader realize that, terrible as this is, something far worse waits in the farmhouse in Dunwich.
In the final section of the narrative, the horror has already broken loose. The Whateley farmhouse, which has previously had all its inner partitions removed by Wilbur so as to make one huge, two-story space, has literally been blown apart by the monster, nourished by its steady diet of cattle (the reason for Old Whateley's ramp). It soon becomes evident that the thing that has escaped is invisible, although its myriad footprints, resembling those of a herd of elephants, can be seen. A reign of terror in the surrounding area has already begun, with houses being flattened at night and people and cattle disappearing.
Dr. Armitage has exhaustively studied the Necronomicon and as a result has learned more about the strange evil threatening the world and has managed to discover several formulas that might possibly defeat the present evil. He comes to Dunwich with two colleagues from the university, and he hopes to get close enough to the monster for the formulas to have effect when he recites them.
In the concluding scene, Dr. Armitage has tracked the monster to the top of Sentinel Hill, on which is a circle of stones in Stonehenge fashion, along with a huge altar. This confirms his worst fears, for he knows that the monster will try to communicate with the beings from beyond. Dr. Armitage gets close enough and begins to recite the formula while his two helpers spray a powder that gives a brief glimpse of the monster, causing the onlookers far down the hill to scream in terror. As the monster cries out in a thunderous voice, it is obliterated by a lightning bolt, and the situation is saved.
In the course of this final scene, two facts have been revealed. The huge monster, with its Whateley face barely discernible among the tentacles, eyes, suckers, and feet, is evidently the twin brother of Wilbur, born at the same time as he, while the father of both Wilbur and the monster is one of the mysterious beings from the otherworld.