Blind Read Through: H.P. Lovecraft; The Shadow over Innsmouth, pt2

Back again with the second section of “The Shadow over Innsmouth”.

The second portion of the story is a slow burn and an introduction to the town itself.  We see a few different portions of the town, and how it is split up, between the poorer, more inhabited part of town and the richer, barren part of town.

When our narrator first comes to town on the bus, we get a brief glimpse of the bus driver, who holds all those same fish qualities that were described in the first section.  The driver is quiet and subdued, but obviously is reticent to take our narrator, and outsider, to Innsmouth.

While driving in, the narrator notices that the old Masonic hall has been transformed into “The Esoteric order of Dagon”, which he believes is a sort of cult.  He looks to the other side of the street and sees the church, which has a basement door open.  He sees a shambling figure of a priest wearing a diadem that looks nearly identical to the one he saw with Miss Tilton in the first section.

There is mention throughout the story that the children of Innsmouth look mainly like real children (at least the few that our narrator sees).  He postulates that if it is a blood disorder or a virus that changes the folks of this town to become more fishlike, then it happens after puberty.  This is yet another feather in the cap for the transformation theory, and nearly codifies the theory.  The more time they have exposed to Dagon, the more transformation occurs within them.  Thus the children don’t have much transformation because they haven’t had much time in the church, or on the island itself, thus they haven’t transformed very much.

As the chapter progresses we hear of an old man in his 90’s who knows much about the town, and when he gets drunk is liable to talk about it.  His name is Zodek Allen, and the narrator finds him on a bench at the end of the chapter.  This is probably going to lead to Zodek telling of a few of the mysteries of Innsmouth in the next chapter.

Join me next week for the next portion of “The Shadow over Innsmouth!”