Analysis Of H. P. Lovecraft's 'Call Of Cthulhu'

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Are humans pathetic? H. P. Lovecraft believes so and in his horrific short story Lovecraft shows examples of this through underlying themes. In The “Call of Cthulhu” by H.P. Lovecraft, he demonstrates his philosophies on life and how he does not believe in human supremacy. The author shows his beliefs in his characters and through subtle story details. He takes advantage of the horrific universe he has created filled with higher beings that show how weak humans are.

The “Call of Cthulhu” follows narrator Francis Wayland Thurston as he discovers notes left behind from his grand uncle after his sudden death. The first chapter deals with a sculpture found among the papers, and the narrator describes “My somewhat extravagant

imagination yielded simultaneous pictures of an octopus, a dragon, and a human caricature. A pulpy head surmounted a grotesque and scaly body with rudimentary wings” (Lovecraft)”.The second chapter involves how his uncle first heard of the word Cthulhu. His uncle had went to a meeting in New Orleans and heard the story of a policeman named Legrasse who lead a search for missing people and discovered a cultist ritual. Some of the of the cultists they found talked about worshipping The Great Ones who came before and one prisoner mentioned a statuette called Cthulhu and a book called the Necronomicon. Thurston discovers a newspaper article about a derelict ship with only one survivor. The crew before their death stumbled upon an uncharted island ad searching the island accidentally release the ancient Cthulhu .Thurston travels to Norway and receives a manuscript which details the events of what happened to the crew. Thurston discovers through the manuscript that the sailors accidentally release Cthulhu and is described as “a mountain who walked or stumble” (Lovecraft). After Thurston finishes the manuscript he realizes he is now a target, thinking, “I know too much, and the cult still lives” (Lovecraft).
Lovecraft made it obvious through his writing that he did not believe in human supremacy and that his philosophy on life is held within his characters in his short stories.

His characters have a goal, but experience turmoil prohibiting them from reaching this goal, and ultimately realize their existence is meaningless. Lovecraft’s characters cannot find solace in these thoughts, since the horror they face is an index of meaninglessness of the human condition. (Ralickas) Another example of meaningless characters are the cultists who so desperately try to awaken Cthulhu, but instead was liberated by curious sailors who didn’t have anything to do with the cult. This also affirms the author’s beliefs as the cultist didn’t contribute to their ultimate goal and all their efforts were futile. At the short stories end the main character comes to realize to late that he is a target for death and nothing he can can stop this. The main character, however realizes his existence is unimportant and would rather face death than face the vile creature Cthulhu is. The horror felt by the protagonist arises out of the fear of knowing the unsuspected truth hiding just beneath the surface of things knowing there will only be a bitter end.

(Wohleber)
Lovecraft created a universe that broke the cliché of humans that overcome the adversity, by creating colossal beings, and hopeless human beings. In the “Call of Cthulhu” the narrator states how he hopes nobody can put the pieces of the puzzle together again. He says this because he realizes even though he found what he was looking for his problems did not end there. The narrator is the most important character in the entire story as he is the only one who truly understands what is going on. He uncovers the cult’s secrets and uncovers what is most precious to them, however by the end of the story he understands that there is nothing anybody can do to stop the awakening of Cthulhu. Lovecraft’s universe is based upon his philosophy of life and how much he felt that the human race was unnecessary. In The “Call of Cthulhu” humans are little more than ants, struggling to build pointless hills of civilization in an uncaring and vast wilderness (Fawver).
In the “Call of Cthulhu” H.P. Lovecraft shows his philosophy on life and how he does not believe that the human race is superior. The author feels as though the human race isn’t necessary and everything humans do is a waste of time. He does this through subtle story details and through his characters. In The “Call of Cthulhu” the world is bleak and nothing can stop the waking of the ancient Cthulhu and that the humans are not superior in anyway. If humans are not the supreme ruler of the world, than what is?