What Is The Mood Of The Beast In The Cave

The Beast in the Cave is a short story written by H.P. Lovecraft circa 1905 and published over a decade later in 1918. Like many other works by the author, thematically, it is a horror story. Antiquarian writing, a sense of helplessness, and a quiet tension bubbling beneath the surface all contribute to the overall feel of the plot.

Born Howard Phillips Lovecraft in Providence, Rhode Island, H.P. Lovecraft was a relatively unknown writer in his time. It was only after his death in 1937 that he found the recognition that he became one of the most celebrated and galvanizing writers of our time. Inspiring authors such as Stephen King and Thomas Ligotti as well as film directors such as Clive Barker (Candyman, Hellraiser series) and Guillermo
His sentences are long and bordering on run along sentences but they serve purpose. As an author, Lovecraft has regular usage of sesquipedalian and polysyllabic words. At times, this might seem unnecessary but his idiolect is purposeful and sets the tone. Words like “prognathous” (a projecting lower jaw and chin), “salubrious” (healthy, pleasant) and “sepulcher” (a small burial place) are uncommon and likely to be lost on the average reader. This, in turn, draws attention and forces the reader to thoroughly invest themselves in their
The main character himself does not contribute to it, but its there in it’s final moments. “The creature I had killed, the strange beast of the unfathomed cave, was, or had at one time been a MAN!!!” is the final sentence of the story. In this, it is revealed that the antagonist is a mutated human being. Described as neanderthal or troglodyte in appearance, large in stature, with sunken eyes that are lacking of any iris. This strange beast that has terrorized the characters up until now is, or was, the same as the rest of us. Aside from misanthropy, nihilism and the dissolution of sanity are a comment element in Lovecraftian stories. The peculiar beast in this seems to be an analogy for a loss of humanity – both physical and mental. The creature who the character closely observes and who is revealed to have once been a human attempts to speak. Its lips move, sounds escape from its throat, and it is described as looking “stricken”. This can all convey the loss of mental faculties. Physically, it is described as walking like that of a great ape. The sound of it approaching is one of 4 limbs hitting the ground as opposed to just two. It possesses long, snow white hair and overgrown fingernails. The result of having been stranded in this labyrinth for an extended period of time. The characters are terrified at this assumedly horrible creature. Screaming and