The author of "The Rats in the Walls," H.P. Lovecraft, has such creative writing that it resonates with the majority of people who read his work. His gothic tales, which included concepts of cannibalism and Greek mythology, were not popular at the time they were written but now they are deemed quite intriguing. "The Rats in the Walls" centers around the life of Walter Delapore who exchanges his average life in Massachusetts to refurbish a decrepit family home in Anchester. He was somewhat apprehensive of the family's peculiar history but it did not hinder his decision to recreate the Exham Priory. Unfortunately, as he digs deeper into the home's details he suddenly begins losing his mind and undergoes a massive mental transformation. H.P. Lovecraft's, "The Rats in the Walls," emphasizes that within every human there are innate monstrous qualities that light will eventually be shed on in the correct time and place through the use of intense tone, questionable diction, and vivid imagery. 

To begin with, Lovecraft slowly eases into the story by telling the subtle but impactful lineage of Walter's family. Lovecraft focuses deeply on the details of every aspect of the house and how each part of the family added their significance to the Exham Priory. There is an extremely curious tone as Walter searches for his ancestry that foreshadows the gruesome ending. Walter gathers information on his family by "Piecing together the tales which Norrys collected for me"( Lovecraft 43). This sheds light on the secretive tone and makes the reader feel as if there is a definite reason why no one wants to associate themselves with him. Walter is forced to "piece" together every detail of his family's history as if it were a puzzle, rather than a brief summary of an average family lineage. The strange tone and diction foreshadows the eerie outcome. As the story continues, it escalates to the statement "having grasped to some slight degree the frightful revelations of this twilit area" (Lovecraft 54). The situation in the cellar was extremely serious and the reader also gets the sense that even the author is slightly nervous about what was going to happen next. The tone emphasizes the feeling of uncertainty and severity within the story which also foreshadows that something terrible and ground breaking is bound to happen extremely soon. This statement foreshadows the unavoidable outcome of the loss of sanity. 

Furthermore, Lovecraft uses particular diction that stands out due to its questionable placement and meaning. Walter believed there were rats in the walls of the house that were constantly running and making noise, but especially at night. The rats were assumed to be ravaging animals that destroyed everything in their way, but one peculiar statement was that the rats "devoured" the dogs, cats, sheep, and even human beings (Lovecraft 44). The emphasis on devour is peculiar because rats are such small beings which in return would make it absolutely impossible for a rat to devour a large animal such as a human. The word "devour" insinuates that the rats are ripping the larger beings to shreds and taking over control of the situation. Also, throughout the text there are multiple occasions when the rats and certain ancestors who were known for their questionable behavior, such as the Carfax's, were described rather similarly. Later when Walter is presumably in the darkness and fending for his life, he begins reciting that he is absolutely "not the daemon swineherd twilit grotto" (Lovecraft 54). The emphasis on the word, "not", in that statement allows the reader to question what is going through this man's head especially considering this was before anyone had placed him in Hanwell and while he was still terrified that the rats were apparently going to eat him. Walter also begins using words and spelling such as "daemon" and "grotto" which is ironic because it hints towards demonic speech while he is stating that he is actually not demonic. This moment is when the earlier assumptions of his family being cursed come to light. 

 Lastly, the vivid imagery within the story places the reader in the setting so that he/she can understand every aspect. The Exham Priory already has a dark, gothic image placed upon it from the architectural information given about the Roman and Druidic influences in the substructure. Also, mention of the "desolate valley" beyond the house gives the feeling of loneliness and there is underlying fear with the lack of people around (Lovecraft 41). The word "valley" puts an image in the reader's mind of a beautiful view with a lonely home that is out of place within it. After the breaking point and Walter is sent to the facility for mental assistance, he officially states that "they found me crouching in the blackness over the plump, half-eaten body of Capt. Norrys" (Lovecraft 55). The visual image of a person standing over a dead, half-eaten body is questionable regardless of Walter's background family information. Walter is still not admitting that he played any part in the feasting on Captain Norrys, but he does admit that he was found crouching on top of him which means he is closer to coming to the realization. Walter describes the body as plump which is typically used to describe a steak or a type of food that is going to be devoured. The use of the words "devoured" while explaining the way the rats ate people and "plump" while describing Captian Norrys body fully circles around the story and allows for the reader to comprehend that it was Walter all along. 

Lovecraft's main goal is to immerse the reader within the story by the use of serious tone, questionable diction, and interesting imagery for them to understand that all human beings are innately different than what is on the outside. In particular, there is a beastly part of every human on Earth, but each person simply needs their one moment or circumstance to allow the insanity to show itself. Walter began to slowly switch into his deranged self when he was working on the renovation of the Exham Priory. The light shed on Walter's emerging moment specifically when it turns to Hanwell and Walter speaking of how their memory of the night and the horrendous things they saw was incorrect. Walter is still convinced that he has not done anything wrong and that the rats in the walls were the one to blame. 

