The Rats In The Walls

Discuss this story within the context of Lovecraft’s own life. Describe how Lovecraft’s personal anxieties about his family’s history of mental health conditions come through in his treatment of ancestral legacy. Use evidence from the text to support your argument.

Lovecraft was known for espousing notably racist beliefs, even for his time. Explore how pseudo-evolutionary theories such as phrenology impact this story. How do Lovecraft’s beliefs about racial categories complicate a modern reading of this story? How does the story express anxieties about racial purity?

“The Rats in the Walls” never reveals the titular rats. Delapore and the cats hear them in the walls, and everyone finds rat bones in the grotto. What is the story trying to say by keeping the existence and nature of the rats ambiguous? Consider negative connotations of rats, including disease, impurity, dehumanization, and fear. Explore what the rats represent in the story.