The collective works of H.P. Lovecraft have entertained and inspired readers from all over the world. He has filled our imaginations with psychopaths, mad doctors, haunted towns, cosmic gods, and all manner of other disturbing images. However, the point that has disturbed some readers and sparked a fair amount of criticism regarding his work was Lovecraft’s racism. Like many authors Lovecraft used his work to express his frustrations with his personal life as well as the general state of life around him. And despite how easy it can be to criticize Lovecraft’s intolerance he was by no means a free radical in a world of open minded acceptance. Though I do not say he and his ideals should get a pass, Lovecraft’s opinions were much more common during his lifetime, and they can now serve as an example to learn from or discuss the social politics during the twentieth century, and perhaps even our current social climate as well. In many ways the social mentality during Lovecraft’s time seems somewhat foreign compared to today’s standards, but in just as many places it is hard to tell if thing have ever changed. There are numerous communities segregated not by law but by societal pressures, and people who lash out at minorities and foreigners either physically or politically. We are taught to not only learn about the past but to learn from it. Lovecraft expressed many ideas that were integral to his time. And while we may not agree with those ideas, we can still learn from them as we try to better ourselves, so as not to repeat his mistakes.

In 1915 a real life horror story was beginning to unravel in the form of a cult-like organization whose tentacles reached throughout American society and politics known as the Ku Klux Klan. By 1924 the KKK reach the height of its power with over four million members in four thousand chapters across America. The sadistic reign of terror that they sought to spread was matched only by their revelry in what they had done. Much like the case of the ‘lynching of “Negro” Williams, Moultrie, Ga.’ as reported by the Washington Eagle, July 16, 1921. Now while it is extremely doubtful that the KKK was a direct inspiration for any of the cults described in Lovecraft’s works it’s not an insane leap to compare their ideology and fanaticism to that of some of the Lovecraftian cults. The general belief of the KKK was that in order to strengthen the country it must be “purified” of all blacks, Catholics, Jews, and other minorities. This is in some ways similar to several stories in which one species feels the need to eradicate another, typically the eradication of humanity by otherworldly beings. In the story it is not specified that Old Wizard Whateley, Lavinia, or Wilbur had ever been members of a larger organization, but they do share the idea that their family lineage is more important than others because they know the truth about the universe, as described in their copy of the Necronomicon. This comes from the belief that when the Great Old Ones are brought through to our plane of existence the Whateley’s will be rewarded for their services while all other life will be purged from the earth. The obvious difference in this story was that the Whateley’s were not officially a part of a larger organization. But those themes of superiority and purging of the inferior are also present in some of his other works like ‘The Call of Cthulhu’. The major difference in that story being that the Cult of Cthulhu, despite being a widespread organization like the KKK, it is described as being mainly composed of non-white ethnic groups, many of whom were from overseas or sailors who would have contacts with foreigners. Setting it even further apart from the KKK and underlining Lovecraft’s prejudice and fear of other cultures.

While H.P. Lovecraft never promoted violence against minorities specifically, he was not afraid to depict them as lesser races. Often using racist, stereotypical, and otherwise outrageous description when referring to the characteristics of other nationalities. One of the worst examples can be found in the pages of ‘Herbert West: Reanimator’ when the narrator describes a black man as “a loathsome, gorilla-like thing, with abnormally long arms which I could not help calling forelegs, and a face that conjured up thoughts of unspeakable Congo secrets and tom-tom poundings under an eerie moon.” And this was not the only time Lovecraft used ape-like features to describe black people. Historically the association between blacks and apes has been to justify treating them as sub human and devoid of basic rights. This tactic was commonly used by cartoonists and illustrators for propaganda and when an easy monster or villain was needed. Such was the birth of King Kong. With the advent of the theory of evolution during this same time, the idea that white people could have also descended from apes began to arise. This was a particularly blasphemous subject because, not only did this differ from God’s teachings, but it also implied that whites could be just as sub-human and ape-like as they pretended blacks to be. Lovecraft thought this was such a terrifying concept that he made it the focus of the plot and the major reveal to his story ‘Facts Concerning the Late Arthur Jermyn and His Family’.

While Lovecraft shared the similar ideal of a “pure” society, he never expressed any approval of the KKK’s violent methods. Often showing to have much more in common with the nativism movement than anything. After WW1 many eastern and southern Europeans began migrating to America in search of a better life. Many of whom had no intention of staying and only came to earn as much money as they could as quickly as they could before returning home to rebuild their lives. This sparked a wave of outrage from “native-born” Anglo-Saxon Americans. They feared that these new immigrants would steal American jobs, that they were violent or uncivilized, or that the cultures of which the immigrants held onto would corrupt American society changing their way of life. Living in the Midwest I still hear those arguments from time to time. This fear manifested itself in the form of the Immigration and Espionage Acts of 1917, as well as the “Red Scare”, Emergency Quota Act of 1921, and the Palmer Raids. This growing nativist tension came to a head with the Sacco and Vanzetti trials, in which two Italian men were tried for murder, convicted, and sentenced to death, with no evidence connecting them to the crime, and a judge with a history of prejudice. And jumped on the band wagon, depicting his opinions on immigration clearly in his stories ‘Polaris’ and ‘He’. In ‘Polaris’ the narrator describes his life spent in the Dream-World in the distant past. During this time his people are besieged by an enemy of squat yellow skinned demons known as “Inutos”. At a certain point the narrator is put on guard duty but falls asleep at his post at which point he wakes up in the real world, in what was then the present day. He then finds that Inuits or “Esqimauxs” have immigrated to America. The narrator then blames himself for falling asleep at his post, allowing for this to happen. Lovecraft also employed visions of the future as well as the past. In the story He’ the unnamed narrator comes in contact with a man in 1920’s New York, who had been a squire during the early days of American History. This squire takes the narrator to his apartment and instructs him to look through a window from which he shows the narrator the distant past as well as the distant future. In the future, which haunts the narrator until the telling, he sees a Hell-born metropolis with strange flying machines and massive “stone terraces with impious pyramids”, inhabited by “the yellow, squint-eyed people of that city, robed in horrible orange and red”.

There are other, less than stellar, stories with similar concepts such as ‘The Street’ and “The Horror at Red Hook’. One of those stories shows Lovecraft’s disappointment with other cultures immigrating to the U.S, and The other, the fear of where he thought continued immigration would lead. But one of his most successful anti-immigration tale must be ‘The Shadow Over Innsmouth’. Here a race of humanoid fish-frogs known as Deep Ones are invited to the town of Innsmouth where they will provide a wealth of gold, jewels, and a bountiful harvest of fish. In exchange they are allowed to interbreed with the locals and use the town to import and store Shoggoths on land. The half-breed human offspring of the Deep Ones are born human, but in later years, gradually transform into Deep Ones themselves. These tradeoffs result in the town’s corruption and the extreme methods taken by the government during an eventual raid. Part of what makes this story stronger than the previous two, beyond being better written, is that instead of obvious caricatures of different nationalities Lovecraft used a fish monster that he had previously written of in his short story ‘Dagon’. Above the anti-miscegenation themes, the literal interpretation of interbreeding with a disgusting race of fish-frogs to produce more half-breed monsters is disturbing and equally shocks readers that don’t agree with the underlying message.

One of the more subtle examples of underlying racism is ever popular ‘At the Mountains of Madness’. In this example the narrator discovers the ancient history of a scientific race of aliens known as The Great Old Ones and the war between them and the slave race they created, known as Shoggoths. In the end the narrator feels a sense of comradery with the slave owners from beyond the stars and understands their prejudice towards the inky black protoplasmic monstrosities. Many people have understandably interpreted this as a parallel to American slavery and the Civil War. By identifying with the Great Old Ones and using primeval monsters to represent black slaves Lovecraft offers an introspective view of American racism and what individuals then considered a solid foundation for horror.

Another racially inflammatory event during the 1920s was the mass migration of African Americans to northern states like New York hoping for better treatment there as opposed to their southern counterparts. This was a fool’s journey for many of those seeking better lives. While there were some benefits to the north, where Jim Crow Laws were less strictly enforced in some places, racism did not disappear after crossing state lines. While it is less talked about, Jim Crow laws were just as prevalent in the north as the south, and with nearly a million African Americans moving north all at once competition for jobs, housing, and resources created boundless tension. This was especially problematic in places like New York which was not only a hot spot for African Americans trying to start a new life but also for immigrants from other countries like Italians and the Irish. This surge of minorities provided an easy scape goat for white people to blame for their problems. This influx was a particular shock to the senses for Lovecraft whom, up until moving to New York, had very little contact with minorities growing up in his home town of Providence, Rhode Island.

While Lovecraft was not opposed to travel and experiencing new things he was not equip to engage with minorities and peoples differing customs. During his time in New York Lovecraft lived shoulder to shoulder with immigrants and minorities forcing him to experience a different social climate than the one he was comfortable with. He began to feel isolated and depressed despite the friends he had made. The frustration which came from his depression was a key factor when writing some of his more racially intolerant stories like the previously mentioned ‘He’, ‘The Horror at Red Hook’, and ‘Polaris’. But there was also a silver lining to Lovecraft’s time in New York that introduces an interesting twist to the discussion of Lovecraft’s racism. In 1921 He met a Jewish-Russian woman by the name of Sonia Halt Greene whom he became quite enamored with, and in 1924 the two were married. While their marriage didn’t last long it was not racial or cultural tension that split the two. Sonia’s health faltered forcing her to spend more time in New Jersey and eventually take a job in Cleveland while Lovecraft stayed in his seedy apartment in Brooklyn. Growing evermore depressed Lovecraft made plans to move back to Providence without Sonia. Though Lovecraft continued to proclaim a deep affection for Sonia she was unwelcomed by his remaining family: his two aunts. Eventually in 1929 the distance finally killed their relationship and the divorce became official.

Howard Phillips Lovecraft was a complicated individual who could speak openly about his disdain for foreigners and minorities while simultaneously falling in love with a Jewish-Russian. In one of his many correspondence letters Lovecraft says that while he didn’t approve of homosexuality and even found it borderline offensive he admitted that in a different time with none of its usual social stigma, he could have been much more accepting. Debating that he is a product of his time rather than a cold hearted bigot, I would like to believe the same. I personally do not believe that Lovecraft was a bad person, simply misinformed with a lack of understanding. As a child he surrounded himself with books of science and history, dreaming of life of old English propriety. It would be years till he became more worldly, traveling along the New England coast and corresponding across the country. But by then it would be too late. He was very self-conscious and grew up with little self-esteem, later focusing his frustrations on the easiest target he could find to make him feel superior than he really did. Stuck in his ways, his view on life and people set firm and difficult to change. But difficult does not mean impossible.

Our country is still in a state of flux, frothing with racial tension at times. With controversy over police assaults, riot, the confederate flag, gay marriage, and more it is clear that we are not as far away from the prejudice of the 1920’s as some people like to think. There are even major politicians who support those outdated ideas. The greatest hurdle that we have to deal with currently is maintaining vigilance over the situation. Making sure people are aware that the issues are still prevalent. Despite being in the age of camera phones and web cams practically watching our every move, everyone knows how easy it can be to lose track of what’s going on around us. Yet still we have made much progress and have continued to crawl ever further forward. And should we remain on this path, perhaps one day we may still see a more evolved, unified society.

So long as our sanity is not deadened by that which is the Crawling Chaos of the Outer Gods. “Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn!”

**The ideas and opinions presented herein are the author’s, and do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of The Redacted Files staff or affiliated role players.