The Dunwich Horror Flashcards
by H. P. Lovecraft — tap or click to flip
Flashcard Review
Flashcards: The Dunwich Horror
Where is the village of Dunwich located?
Dunwich is located in north central Massachusetts, in a remote and decaying region of the upper Miskatonic valley.
On what date was Wilbur Whateley born, and why was the date remembered?
Wilbur was born on February 2, 1913, which was Candlemas. The date was remembered because hill noises sounded and all the dogs barked throughout the night before.
What did Old Whateley do with the upper story of the farmhouse?
He boarded up all the windows and later knocked out all the partitions and removed the attic floor, creating one vast open void to house Wilbur's invisible twin brother.
Why did the Whateley family continually buy cattle despite never increasing their herd size?
The cattle were being fed to the invisible creature hidden in the sealed upper story of the farmhouse. The animals showed odd wounds resembling incisions before disappearing.
How did Wilbur Whateley die?
Wilbur was killed by a watchdog while trying to break into the Miskatonic University library at night to steal the Necronomicon. His monstrous non-human body was revealed as he died.
What happened to the Whateley farmhouse after Wilbur's death?
The invisible creature, no longer being fed, burst free and destroyed the farmhouse. The bottom floor was covered in tarry stickiness and the upper timbers were scattered like dynamite had gone off.
Which families were destroyed by the invisible horror during its rampage?
The Elmer Frye family was completely wiped out when their house caved in, and the Seth Bishop household was similarly destroyed when the creature attacked during a rainstorm.
How was the Dunwich Horror ultimately defeated?
Dr. Armitage recited an incantation from the Necronomicon on the summit of Sentinel Hill, which split the creature back into its original components and sent it back to the dimension of its father.
What are Old Whateley's dying words about, and what do they reveal?
He tells Wilbur to give the creature more space, feed it regularly, and open the gates to Yog-Sothoth using a specific page of the Necronomicon. His words reveal the family's plan to bring the Old Ones back to Earth.
What happened to Lavinia Whateley?
She disappeared on Halloween 1926, after whippoorwills screamed near the farmhouse all night. Her disappearance is strongly implied to be a murder, possibly by Wilbur, though it is never confirmed.
Who is Dr. Henry Armitage and what is his role in the story?
He is the head librarian at Miskatonic University who recognizes the danger of the Whateley plot, deciphers Wilbur's diary, and leads the expedition that ultimately destroys the invisible horror.
What physical traits show Wilbur Whateley's non-human heritage?
Wilbur had a goatish face, chinlessness, coarse crinkly hair, yellowish skin, elongated ears, and grew at a supernatural rate. Below the waist his body was entirely inhuman, with tentacles, fur, and rudimentary eyes.
Who are Professor Rice and Dr. Morgan?
They are Armitage's colleagues at Miskatonic University who accompany him to Dunwich. Rice carries the powder sprayer that makes the creature briefly visible, while Morgan carries a big-game rifle.
What does Curtis Whateley see through the telescope when the powder is sprayed?
He sees an egg-shaped mass bigger than a barn, made of squirming ropes and jelly, covered with bulging eyes and stovepipe-sized mouths, with a half-formed face on top resembling Wizard Whateley's.
What does the story suggest about humanity's place in the universe?
The story embodies cosmic horror, suggesting that humanity is insignificant and that incomprehensible, indifferent forces from other dimensions could easily overwhelm human civilization.
How does the theme of forbidden knowledge drive the plot?
The Whateleys use forbidden texts like the Necronomicon to summon cosmic entities, while Armitage uses the same forbidden knowledge to defeat the horror, showing that such knowledge is both a weapon and a danger.
What does the decline of Dunwich represent thematically?
Dunwich's decay represents the corruption of isolated communities cut off from civilization, where inbreeding, superstition, and degeneracy make people vulnerable to malign supernatural influences.
How does the story explore the boundary between science and the supernatural?
Armitage is a scholar who uses rational methods like cryptography and chemistry to combat a supernatural threat, suggesting that even cosmic horrors operate by rules that can be understood and countered.
What narrative technique does Lovecraft use to describe the invisible creature's attacks?
Lovecraft uses indirect description, showing the creature only through its effects: bent trees, enormous footprints, destroyed buildings, foul smells, and terrified witnesses, making the horror more effective.
How does Lovecraft use dialect in the story?
Lovecraft writes the Dunwich natives' dialogue in heavy New England dialect to emphasize their isolation and backwardness, contrasting them with the educated speech of the Miskatonic professors.
What is the function of the whippoorwills as a recurring motif?
The whippoorwills serve as harbingers of death. Local legend says they try to catch departing souls, and they appear at every death in the story, from Old Whateley's passing to the creature's final destruction.
How does the story's structure build suspense through delayed revelation?
The true nature of the horror is withheld until the final pages. The creature is invisible throughout, and the climactic twist that it was Wilbur's twin brother who looked more like their father is saved for the last line.
What does the word 'eldritch' mean as Lovecraft uses it?
Eldritch means weird, sinister, or ghostly, suggesting something otherworldly and unsettling. Lovecraft uses it to describe the supernatural qualities of Dunwich and its horrors.
What does 'fetor' mean in the context of the story?
Fetor means a strong, foul, offensive smell. It is used throughout the story to describe the terrible stench associated with the Whateley creatures and their otherworldly nature.
What does 'teratologically' mean when describing Wilbur's body?
Teratologically relates to teratology, the study of abnormalities and monstrous growths. Lovecraft uses it to describe the fantastically deformed lower half of Wilbur's inhuman body.
What is the significance of Old Whateley's prophecy that people would hear Lavinia's child calling its father's name on Sentinel Hill?
The prophecy is fulfilled at the climax when the dying invisible twin cries out 'Father! Father! Yog-Sothoth!' on Sentinel Hill, confirming that Yog-Sothoth was literally the father of both creatures.
What does the Necronomicon passage 'Yog-Sothoth is the gate. Yog-Sothoth is the key and guardian of the gate' reveal?
It reveals that Yog-Sothoth exists at the intersection of all dimensions and times, serving as the gateway through which the Old Ones can re-enter our world, which is exactly what the Whateleys were trying to achieve.
What is the meaning of Armitage's final revelation: 'It was his twin brother, but it looked more like the father than he did'?
This closing line reveals that the invisible horror was Wilbur's twin, born at the same time, and that while Wilbur appeared mostly human, the twin inherited far more of Yog-Sothoth's alien nature.