The Rats In The Walls

Delapore is the protagonist and first-person narrator of “The Rats in the Walls.” He never gives his first name. He is a dynamic character who changes from a relatively ordinary man to someone who is plagued by supernatural horrors.

At the beginning of the story, Delapore describes himself as a widower who has recently lost his only son, Alfred. He never describes his physical appearance, except to say that he is “no longer young” (Paragraph 6). Though he spent much of his adult life in Massachusetts, Delapore grew up on a plantation in Virginia. During the Civil War, when he was seven years old, Delapore lost his home, his grandfather, and an envelope explaining his family’s history to a fire.

Delapore is resentful toward the Union soldiers who cost him the opportunity to learn about his family history. He has a strong drive to uncover the truth about himself and to connect with his ancestry. He reflects that if he had known the contents of the envelope, he would have “left Exham Priory to its moss, bats, and cobwebs” (Paragraph 4). Alfred hears “interesting ancestral legends” about the de la Poers when he is stationed near Anchester during World War I (Paragraph 5), inspiring his father to learn more about Exham Priory.