H. P. Lovecraft’s 1924 short story The Rats in the Walls investigates an English estate known as Exham Priory.  The story is told in the first-person, from the perspective of a young unnamed man descended from the de la Poer family, the original owners of the house.  In 1923, Delapore moves from Massachusetts to England to renovate Exham Priory.  As an outsider, however, he is ignorant of his family’s history with the estate, which leads to the events of the story.   Through Lovecraft’s family-centric language, vivid descriptions, and words choice, he emphasizes the horror genre, ominous mood, and major themes of the story.  

At first, much of the story focuses on family and ancestry.   The narrator discusses his heritage in great detail, using words such as “lineal progenitor,” “sole heir,” “ancestry,” and “forbear.” (Lovecraft 75)  After he finishes renovating the house, he states, “The seat of my fathers was complete, and I looked forward to redeeming at last the local fame of the line which ended in me.” (Lovecraft 75)  This primarily establishes the narrator’s motivation to move to England.   Instead of focusing on money or love, the narrator seems inexplicably drawn to his own history, and restoring it to what it once was.  He changes his last name “Delapore” to the more traditional “de la Poer,” as if he is restoring himself as well.  Thus, the central focus is on the relationship between the narrator and the house.  It also adds to the story’s intrigue and mystery.  In addition, Lovecraft chooses to make the de la Poer family Druidic.  In mythology, Druids are able to transform into animals.  This foreshadows the narrator’s delusion of becoming a rat, and only adds to the mystery surrounding the family of the de la Poers.

When Lovecraft establishes the context of the house, he focuses on its architecture and history.  The house is close to a thousand years old and frightens the townspeople.   The lavish architecture is described in great detail.  The narrator’s study is a “a lofty west room on the second story, with groined arches, black oak panelling, and a triple Gothic window overlooking the limestone cliff and desolate valley” (Lovecraft 80).  When the house is finished after two years, the narrator views with pleasure “the great rooms, wainscotted walls, vaulted ceilings, mullioned windows, and broad staircases” (Lovecraft 79).  He reproduces the architecture of the Middle Ages and builds a visual for the reader of an imposing mansion.  The descriptions that the narrator uses shows the pride he takes in his work, and of his history.  The visual of the house that Lovecraft creates only adds to the fear that the townspeople have of its history and the tales that come with it.  

Many of the names in this story help contribute to the eerie mood of the story.  Upon closer examination, the names also provide insight into their references.  Lovecraft chooses to name the central setting “Exham Priory” and the central family “de la Poers.”  He builds the ancestry around the house and family so that the reader has an understanding of the context which the story’s plot is based off of.  Names of other characters include Sir William Brinton and Dr. Trask, who make up two of the five eminent authorities that the narrator mentions.  These eminent authorities are men from London, and are the five people who accompany the narrator on the exploration into the cave beneath the estate.  By including five important people on the journey, Lovecraft places great importance on this part of the story that leads to the climax and conclusion.  Captain Norrys was the first character introduced to the reader, and is seen as a friend of the narrator.  The title “Captain” implies that Norrys is brave and honorable, and these descriptions cause him to seem undeserving of his fate.     

Yet another element that Lovecraft uses repeatedly in this writing is specific word choice.  One such example is Lovecraft’s use of the word “plump” to describe Captain Norrys.  At its first occurrence, the word seems innocuous and describing the man as fat.  Because the word plump is usually used in relation to food, it seems a bit out of place when used to describe a man’s weight.  The word choice wouldn’t get as much as a second glance, however, since it does the job that it is expected to do in describing a man who is larger than usual.  Before using this description of Captain Norrys again, the narrator declares, “I must be very deliberate now, and choose my words.”  This declaration blatantly states that the word choice the narrator uses will be of extreme precision.  The next use of the word, plump, happens three times sequentially in the final three paragraphs of the story.  This is during the exploration of the catacombs of the estate, and the climax of the story, where the narrator turns animalistic eats Captain Norrys.  This repetition of word choice during the climax and conclusion of the story help to show the importance that this choice of description played in the story.  While the word plump itself doesn’t directly contribute to the theme of horror in The Rats in the Walls, the way Lovecraft uses it repeatedly, first foreshadowing of Captain Norrys being eaten, but then to build the effect during the climax and show the aftermath of the conclusion, creates a real sense of horror for the reader in the realization after the initial reading.

The structure of the narration creates suspense, as more details are slowly revealed about the narrator’s life.  The story preys on people’s sense of security in their homes and families.  It is horrifying to consider that a place that is supposed to comfort and protect instead triggers insanity and cannibalism in an innocent man.  Lovecraft incorporates traditional horror elements, such as a mysterious backstory, a beautiful but sinister setting, significant names, and foreshadowing, to convey the chilling tale.  He alludes to history and mythology to foreshadow the protagonist’s fate.  Ultimately, through the use of these elements, Lovecraft demonstrates his understanding of how to horrify his readers by their own understandings combined with his own.
