Analyse af H. P. Lovecrafts 'The Statement of Randolph Carter'

Analytical Essay on H. P. Lovecraft’s “The Statement of Randolph Carter” from 1919

Our memory is a vital part of our lives, without it we wouldn’t have the ability to evolve and change. Therefore, it can be terribly confusing and frustrating to realise that there are blank spots that one simply cannot recall. Without memory we are put into a state of infancy where we can only guess at our sanity. The issue of not remembering a live-changing even is what Randolph Carter is dealing with in “The Statement of Randolph Carter” from 1919 by H. P. Lovecraft, when he is being questioned by the police on behalf of the disappearance of his friend Harley Warren.

The protagonist in this story is as the title indicates Randolph Carter, the only other important character is named Harley Warren. Harley has an intense interest in researching the ancient and unknown, and his research is the reason the two of them journey to the cemetery. Carter is described by Warren as a person with frail nerves, to which Carter objects; however, this quote: “The place was […] so ancient that I trembled at the manifold sign of immemorial years.” (p. 2, ll. 32-33) suggests that Warren may be onto something concerning Carter’s nerves. Carter is convinced that his recollection of events and his recountal of them are perfectly convincing and candid. There are several passages in the text that imply otherwise. “Nothing has been distorted or concealed, and if anything remains vague, it is only because of the dark cloud which has come over my mind” (p. 1, ll. 5-7), this quote shows him believing in his own story, although he is aware of its inaccuracy. He is very cognizant of his limitation of knowing what really occurred which is visible here: “I will not deny, though my memory is uncertain and indistinct” (p.1, l. 17) and here: “Vision or nightmare it may have been” (p. 1, l. 30). The three previous quotes show that the narrator is a 1st person narrator with a subjective viewpoint, besides that, they also show how unreliable the narrator is.