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

Wow, so much in such a short chapter.  There is more in these last few pages than there had been in the previous 60, and truly, the majority of interest comes from the last two paragraphs of the story.

The narrator wakes from his faint, and headed back home.  He continues on his investigation of his lineage when he finds that some of the story of old Obed Marsh, was actually his ancestors.  The daughter who was married off to an Arkham man, was actually our Narrator’s great-Grandmother.  He sees pictures and sees the “Innsmouth look”.  He even finds out that an Uncle that he had committed suicide when he found out the truth.  Our narrator buys a gun, thinking, that maybe he will do the same thing, but his heart isn’t in it.  There is a strange draw back to the Innsmouth.  Back to the Sea.

So earlier in the story, they were not trying to chase him.  They did not tell him to go to the Gilman to trap him, they were bringing in one of their own.

The interesting point for the lore comes in the second to last paragraph.  It is here that I have seen the first mention of Cthulhu being a “Deep One”, and that has to mean that Dagon is related in some way to Cthulhu.  The narrator mentions that “the Deep Ones could never be destroyed, even through the palaeogean magic of the forgotten Old ones might sometimes check them.”  So the Deep Ones are evil in some way, because another “forgotten power” is checking them.

In addition to this we have the first sight (through the narrators eyes) of a Shoggoth.  I had previously thought these were a god in and of themselves, but the way they are described here, I think they are just a creature, as the narrator saw “a Shoggoth”.  This probably has something to do with the third contract of the Order of Dagon, because the narrator says he saw the Shoggoth in a dream, then when he woke from the dream screaming, he had all of a sudden acquired the “Innsmouth Look”.

So there is transformation which can occur.  There is also a distinct lineage connection, but I have to believe that there is still the ability for the transformation if there is no heritage of the Deep Ones.  I’m sure more clarification will occur the more I read on, but that’s what my hypothesis is now.

And then there is the Shoggoth.  From what I know of in the past, this is a creature that has many eyes and mouths (akin to a gibbering mouther in Dungeons and Dragons land), but apparently it also has some power.  It seems to have transformed the narrator, both in body and in mind, as he had lost knowledge that he could not have gain otherwise.  Either the Shoggoth is the method of transmutation, or it is the harbinger, just solidifying the knowledge that has already been transferred, by some ancient magic.

What do you think?

In any case, I cant wait to read on!  I will be moving on to “At the Mountains of Madness” by Del Rey next.  I will break the story up into approximately 25 page chunks so we can analyze each section, if you are reading along.

Join me tomorrow for the first 25!