The Colour Out of Space

Three times, Lovecraft compares the meteor to a message or messenger from beyond. In religion and myth, the birth of something from the heavens is supposed to deliver the message that humankind has a special place in the eyes of a benevolent God. The meteorite does the opposite. While Lovecraft never explicitly spells out the supposed message, he surrounds references to the messenger with words like, “lone,” “weird,” “frightful,” “unformed.” If a wordless message can be translated, the meteorite is mutely warning humankind to know their place in the cosmos, that this place is the smallest and least significant.

Passivity and helplessness are common motifs in Lovecraft’s work. Ammi remarks on Nahum’s passivity in the face of horror, and the narrator comments on the fact that Ammi also seems to be stuck, unable to leave the area of the blight. His characters are often stricken by a sense of resignation, which prevents them from fleeing certain annihilation. For example, Nahum and his family continue drinking from the tainted well. Ammi seems equally stuck. He knows the blight is creeping closer, but he stays on. Perhaps in Lovecraft’s view, his characters are like the proverbial frog in hot water. The horror creeps up so slowly they are overwhelmed before they realize it’s too late.