Written in 1920, “The Temple” is as apparent a remodeling of the themes in “Dagon” as it’s a quaint predecessor of the grand visions of “The Name of Cthulhu.” All three tales discover the idea of an inscrutable, submarine civilization, and are themselves inscrutable in what they trace at, by no means absolutely pulling again the curtain. Essentially the most perplexing of those, nonetheless, is “The Temple.” With out the advantage of a framing machine – like the numerous utilized in “Cthulhu” – it represents an incomplete story relayed by a single narrator who lacks the extra perspective wanted to fill within the lacking items. It might be as if Gustaf Johanson’s narrative of the Alert’s encounter with Cthulhu had been printed with out the added accounts of Thurston, Legrasse, and Angell.
As such, it feels incomplete and impressionistic, though that could be the impact that Lovecraft had meant. If that’s the case, the story – like Arthur Machen’s “The White Folks,” Ambrose Bierce’s “The Dying of Halpin Frayser,” Henry James’ “The Flip of the Screw,” and Algernon Blackwood’s “The Willows” – is a pleasant literary riddle, inviting its readers to contemplate the scanty proof and picture an answer.
Stylistically, nonetheless, the story bears probably the most similarity to Poe’s work – most notably his “MS. Present in a Bottle,” to which it’s an unquestionably homage. Each tales characteristic males misplaced at sea in disabled vessels, a interval of fear overcome by the euphoria of discovery (as soon as the hope of rescued has pale into acceptance), an encounter with a wierd, supernatural tradition, imprecise revelations which steadily – although by no means wholly – piece collectively an understanding of what the narrator has found, and a puzzling conclusion during which the narrator seals and releases his story in a bottle earlier than confronting his unusual, underwater demise.
As such, decoding Lovecraft’s confounding story could also be simpler if we take into accout the primary themes of Poe’s earlier work, particularly, a stoic meditation on the inevitability of dying, the euphoria of discovery for discovery’s personal sake (quite than for mankind’s), the doom of civilization, the common expertise of mortality (all of us go to the identical place ultimately), and the unusual great thing about embracing dying, residing within the current, and experiencing the dear moments of life on one’s personal phrases regardless of the adversarial catastrophes we could also be handed.
These themes are additionally held in frequent with a lot of Poe’s different survivalist tales (“The Pit and the Pendulum,” “A Descent into the Maelstrom,” and many others.), however Lovecraft provides it his personal jaded taste by making the narrator a repellent anti-hero, although one with whom – regardless of his makes an attempt to make him cartoonishly villainous – our creator clearly resonates.
The story is framed as the ultimate account of Karl Heinrich, Graf von Altberg-Ehrenstein, a proud and extremely disciplined German U-boat commander. His manuscript, discovered by unknown means, describes a collection of harrowing occasions that led to the lack of his submarine and crew. The story begins with the destruction of a British service provider ship off the Iberian coast and the following unusual occurrences that plague the vessel.
The U-29 torpedoes an Allied vessel, leaving no survivors apart from one physique that drifts towards the submarine. This corpse is discovered clutching a small ivory carving of a unusually lovely and otherworldly face. The German crew, initially dismissive, quickly finds the relic disturbing, however von Altberg retains it for himself, captivated by its craftsmanship.
-
The presence of the useless physique unsettles the crew, who report unnatural expressions on its face. The sailors change into more and more uneasy, claiming to listen to whispering voices and see unusual visions. Von Altberg, a strict and rational officer, dismisses their fears as hysteria, regardless of an environment of rising dread.
Because the submarine continues its patrol, crew members start to endure from hallucinations and evening terrors. They declare to see ghostly figures and listen to whispers in an unknown language. Some insist the useless sailor’s physique, which was forged into the ocean, continues to hang-out them. The commander stays skeptical however notes the rising paranoia amongst his males.
Panic overtakes the crew as a number of members mysteriously die or are pushed to insanity. Tensions attain a breaking level when a gaggle makes an attempt mutiny, blaming von Altberg for his or her destiny. He quells the rebellion with ruthless effectivity, executing dissenters and confining others. Nonetheless, the deaths proceed, and the crew’s numbers dwindle additional.
The submarine begins to float uncontrollably, seemingly drawn downward by an unknown drive. The remaining crew, now decreased to just a few males, endure worsening psychological breakdowns. They declare that the ocean outdoors is alive with unusual lights and figures, watching them from the deep.
Ultimately, solely von Altberg and his loyal lieutenant stay. The officer, as soon as as rational as his commander, succumbs to insanity, raving about an underwater metropolis and its historical inhabitants. In a last match of hysteria, he throws himself out of the submarine’s hatch, vanishing into the darkish waters under.
Now alone, von Altberg lastly beholds the unbelievable sight outdoors his vessel. The submarine has settled upon the ruins of an historical and impossibly huge underwater metropolis, adorned with unusual carvings and symbols. The structure is in contrast to something identified to man, suggesting a sophisticated civilization that predates human historical past.
Mesmerized by the grandeur of the town, von Altberg feels an inexplicable pull towards a large construction resembling a temple. He now not considers escaping however as an alternative turns into satisfied that he’s destined to discover this forgotten realm. His as soon as inflexible rationality crumbles as he accepts the supernatural actuality earlier than him.
Von Altberg realizes that the ivory carving he took from the useless sailor resembles the statues and reliefs contained in the temple. He understands, too late, that the artifact was a harbinger of his destiny. He now not fears his doom however embraces it, believing he has been chosen to hitch the beings that dwell within the deep.
With no hope of returning to the floor, von Altberg prepares to depart the submarine and enter the temple. He writes his last phrases, acknowledging his inevitable transformation and expressing a wierd reverence for the traditional civilization awaiting him. His destiny stays ambiguous, however it’s clear he willingly submits to no matter awaits past the edge of the temple.
The story ends with the invention of his manuscript, its precise technique of reaching the floor unexplained. It serves as a cryptic warning, or maybe an invite, to those that may search to uncover the mysteries of the deep. The story leaves readers with an amazing sense of cosmic horror—an insignificance of humanity in opposition to forces past comprehension.
Earlier than we proceed into the evaluation, a good warning: Lovecraft did have a definitive resolution to this story from which I’ll quote, and it could be much less imaginative, creepy, or attention-grabbing than any theories that you could be be mulling, so earlier than you learn on, you’re welcome to skip this evaluation in the event you don’t want to be upset. Earlier than we get into that, nonetheless, let’s spend a second contemplating the narrator whom Lovecraft selected to be mankind’s emissary to this subterranean lacking hyperlink in our cosmic id. I can’t assist however word that Lovecraft’s well-known racism is taking part in unusual methods on this explicit Prussian persona.
On the one hand, it’s a cartoonish (although no much less racist) caricature of Prussian aristocrats that simply might have come out of Rocky and Bullwinkle, Dr. Strangelove, or Hogan’s Heroes – all of which might be extra excusable as a result of they’re unapologetic comedies. His nearly comedian disinterest for human life, racism in opposition to anybody – together with much less “German” Germans (viz., everybody aside from himself) – masturbatory musings on his “iron Jairmin vill,” his fetishization of German medical doctors and authorities, and his melodramatic delight in German “Kultur” all pile up into a reasonably heavy-handed instance of stereotyping.
S. T. Joshi opines that the story is closely “marred” by what he considers a “crude satire on the protagonist’s militarist and chauvinist sentiments.” And but… as we spend extra time with pricey Von Altberg-Ehrenstein – or extra to the purpose, as Lovecraft does – it turns into obvious that our creator is quickly warming as much as his villainous Prussian. His disregard for all times is actually pragmatic, his lack of mercy is nearly philosophical, his impregnable skepticism is admirable, his racism in opposition to Alsatians and Rhinelanders is implied to be justified, and his lack of emotion, humanity, or concern for his personal life is lauded as downright “Roman.”
Lovecraft units us as much as view him as a craven villain, however he turns the tables on us (or at the least tries to): Von Altberg-Ehrenstein finally ends up – with out ever questioning his coronary heart or actions, or ever altering his opinions or values – changing into certainly one of Lovecraft’s most lionized heroes. In contrast to the weak-willed Yankee mariner in “Dagon,” this gallant Nietzschean meets his destiny like a person, leaving us to surprise what level Lovecraft expects us to remove from this wily rascal: on the one hand, he appears detestable (largely as a result of he’s a grimy, no-good Hun) and on the opposite, Lovecraft telegraphs the person’s genius, bravery, and sound philosophies.
This alone has not led to the story’s blended reactions: Joshi – one of the vital beneficiant and biased of Lovecraft’s apologists – grumbled about its “extra of supernaturalism” and the “many weird occurrences that don’t appear to unify right into a coherent entire.” In Tour de Lovecraft, Kenneth Hite calls it “a tremendous little story,” spending the overwhelming majority of his tedious evaluation evaluating it to different entries in Lovecraft’s corpus (viz., the way it acts as a keystone between “Dagon”-style tales and “Cthulhu”-style tales). His solely direct commentary (and the closest factor to reward) is a supposition that it is perhaps the primary submarine-based horror story. And simply in case you observed that I’m giving Previous Windfall a nasty rap, we are actually prepared to maneuver onto Lovecraft’s specific intentions for the story – in his personal phrases.
As I warned you earlier, Lovecraft was clearly conscious that he had made a literary puzzle (and maybe not a very good one). In a damage-control letter to Frank Belknap Lengthy, he felt the necessity to make clear it’s that means – earlier than it was even printed by Bizarre Tales:
“My submarine metropolis is a piece of man – a templated and glittering metropolis that when reared its copper domes and colonnades of chrysotile to glowing Atlantean suns. Honest Nordick bearded males dwelt in my metropolis, and spoke a polish’d tongue akin to Greek; and the flame that the Graf von Altberg-Ehrenstein beheld was a witch-fire lit by spirits many millennia outdated.”
Briefly, removed from being lured to his simply deserts by the spirits of his drowned victims and murdered crewmates, Altberg-Ehrenstein is being guided to a “Nordick” Valhalla of honored relaxation amongst his Aryan ancestors. Certainly, dolphins have been historically interpreted as messengers from the ocean gods who’re despatched to escort the souls of drowned sailors to paradise, making them the maritime model of Valkyries, and probably suggesting that these clearly supernatural beings are maybe not sabotaging him a lot as guiding him to his relaxation amongst his equally misunderstood, equally vanquished ancestors.
Like Randolph Carter, Robert Olmstead, and Mr. Delapore, he’s unable to seek out solace in a topsy-turvy world run by degenerate Alsatians and Rhinelanders, Jews and Catholics, Southern Europeans and African-Individuals, immigrants and reformers. Much better to descend beneath the waves (simply as Carter descends into unconscious sleep, Olmstead into submarine Y’ha-nthlei, and Delapore into his property’s subterranean ruins) to hitch his place among the many unappreciated relics of human civilization. If we do learn it this manner, it’s yet one more Lovecraft story arguing in favor of numbing out: in search of solace within the insular world of goals and fantasies – and it’s one with an arguably “comfortable” ending.
Now, to be honest, there are unquestionable hints that one thing fishy is happening: there’s the maniacal laughter in his thoughts, the faces of the useless gaping at him via the portholes, and the supernatural interference relationship again to the looks of the grisly, swarthy-skinned corpse from the Victory. If it weren’t for Lovecraft’s personal written context, I’d be inclined to imagine {that a} very nasty shock awaits his sociopathic submariner within the Temple. Most probably, I’d have theorized that – as with The Wicker Man – he was summoned to be the sacrifice on its altar, and that the sunshine from its home windows comes from the sacrificial flames, quite than a “witch-fire lit by spirits.”
And maybe – since Lovecraft hardly ever likes his narrators to expertise a cheerful ending – that is what is meant to be implied, however the extra we get to know the captain, the extra Lovecraft appears to love him and make him appear likable. He’s noble, life like, courageous, and Stoic, and his selections – aside from gunning down the Victory’s lifeboats, which set off this misadventure – all appear to be logically appropriate (at the least from a robotic’s reasoning).
Removed from a villain, in spite of everything, he’s a visionary – a philosophically admirable Übermensch. Even his submarine, with its library, portholes, highlight, and diving fits, is cribbed much more from the proto-Nietzschean Captain Nemo’s steampunk Nautilus than from the cramped, oily actuality of a World Battle One U-boat. Actually (Lovecraft appears to point), this stoic mental was “too good” for this world, and his pathetic crew had been unworthy of his time and a focus.
Certainly, as soon as he’s disencumbered by his spiritual, working-class, culturally numerous crew, our atheistic, aristocratic, pure-bred Prussian boy-genius is lastly in a position to pursue cosmic mysteries in pure, scrumptious isolation – which sounds an terrible lot like a Lovecraft want achievement. However then once more, I can’t assist however take into consideration the altar in that temple and surprise what precisely did Altberg-Ehrenstein see when he handed via the doorways, and who precisely was there to obtain him. Maybe – like a Soviet Chekist who has inevitably fallen out of favor, and finds himself being butchered in the identical execution room he helped design – he did find yourself reassessing his cold-blooded worldview in spite of everything.
