Throughout the entire short story "The Rats in the Walls" author H.P Lovecraft switches perspectives of his main character by showing signs of both insanity and sanity. This is a very effective way to capture the attention of the reader, however it demands close reading in order to accurately comprehend what you are reading. Throughout the entire story, there are many examples of this character being insane. One of the most meaningful quotes for the argument of insanity is, "The daemon rats that race behind the padding in this room and beckon me down to greater horrors than I have ever known; the rats they can never hear; the rats, the rats in the walls"(Lovecraft 45). However in comparison to the argument of him being insane, Lovecraft also provides examples of his sanity, such as, "If of healthier inclinations, it was said, and heir would early and mysteriously die to make way for another scion"(Lovecraft 33). 

There are many times toward the beginning of the short story in which he talks about his ancestors and does not quite give us enough information to understand his background. From my perspective, this set the stage for the rest of the story. As the story continues, there are more and more hints that show this man's dark and questionable background. Without this explanation, the story would not be nearly as dramatic as it is. Lovecraft worked this masterfully, using both sides of sanity along with the constant hints to his  background to not only keep the readers interested, but to also keep readers asking  themselves questions about the text. 

Lovecraft does an extremely good job at not only engaging the reader in the story, but also writes in a style that gives readers the desire to keep reading. Throughout the story the author portrays the main character as one of two things. Some may look at him and consider him crazy, as others may think he is just a hated man living in the wrong place.  To add to Lovecraft's unique writing style is the use of foreshadowing in regards to the entire story of Delapore's life, suggesting that he is neither crazy nor sane, just cursed. The quote "Of my family before this date there is no evil report, but something strange must have happened then. In one chronicle there is a reference to Delapore as "cursed of God" (Lovecraft 33).  This quote shows the obvious curse that he was born into.  Right after this quote, Lovecraft states "The worst characters, apparently, were the barons and their direct heirs; at least, most was whispered about these." (Lovecraft 33). This quote shows Delapores's knowledge of being born into a disturbing family that was not cared for at all by the locals. The reader sees repeatedly that he is "cursed", which makes his life so much harder. Knowing that there is no one to go to is one of the reasons that so many people think that there is something wrong with him.

Many people look at Delapore's character and think of a person who is mentally insane. They have very good reason to feel this way as well due to some of the things that he does, but also based on things that are said about him.  There are numerous indications throughout the story supporting this statement. However, this is an argument that will drag out over quite a long while and will never come to an agreement. Lovecraft constructed this story by giving an example of this character appearing to be insane. The author then backs that up with a statement of him being sane, maybe just cursed. This is a very effective style of writing because it makes the story more interesting, but it also keeps the readers very involved with the content.  

A select few have the opinion that Delapore is not insane, but indeed completely sane. The quote "This deliberate slaughter which included a father, three brothers, and two sisters was largely condoned by the villagers, and so slackly treated by the law that its perpetrator escaped honoured, unharmed, and undisguised to Virginia; the general whispered sentiment being that he purged the land of an immoral curse" (Lovecraft 35). This quote shows that the area that he lives in is a very hard place to remain in a sane state of mind. People have hated his family for as long as he can remember and that continued throughout his life. The hate that was put against his past family is a hate that he was born into, something that he had no chance of escaping or avoiding. This is a reason why people have the impression that Delapore is insane. He has never been given the opportunity to prove them wrong due to the fact that no one is around him or wants to be. An example of his small world is not only how he talks to his cat, but naming it and treating it like another human in his life. This goes to show the true isolation he lives in, making it almost impossible to remain "normal". 

Lovecraft writes with long, descriptive sentence structure. By doing this he gives the readers a very in-depth and personal look at some things that would not have been like that if he didn't. Lovecraft writes in an elaborate style, using much detail and explanations. An example of his elaborate writing style is, "It must have been the rats; the vicious, gelatinous, ravenous army that feast on the dead and the living" (Lovecraft 44). In this example he goes into very deep detail talking about the rats and what he believes they are capable of. 

In this dense text, H.P Lovecraft demands the attention of the reader as he explores the inner world of his main character. The switch of perspectives throughout the story is one that makes this short story much more enjoyable. "The Rats in the Walls" is a highly descriptive and introspective text in which the reader is left wondering about the edges of sanity in a dark treatment of humanity.
