The Outsider and the Journey

The Outsider and the Journey

Kristin Martz is known for saying “We lose ourselves in the things we love. We find ourselves there, too”. This quote relates very well to H.P Lovecraft’s story “The Outsider”. “The Outsider” is about an unnamed monster who has no recollection of ever meeting another being or seeing the light of day. In the story the monster gets anxious about if he will ever see the sun or the moon and decides to go on a journey. This journey consists of a climb up a tower, pushing through walls and doors, and ends with a shocking vision of himself that he has never before seen. Upon seeing himself in the mirror, the monster begins to understand himself and begins to remember about his personality and where he is. After this happens, the monster decides that seeing the moon and being in this place is not for him, and he crawls back to where he came from to stay forevermore. The story follows a situation archetype known as the Journey, where a character goes on a long journey that is very emotional to understand and leads to a shocking realization or understanding of his or her personality. It follows this archetype by showing the monster what he looks like in the mirror, by proving to him that the moon is not for him, and he finally remembers who he is and where he is. The journey the monster in the story takes is life altering to him because of the lesson he learns from trying to venture beyond his domain.

One of the very first things mentioned in this story by H.P Lovecraft is that the monster has no memory of himself or any other being. When he makes the climb up the tower, he finds a stone wall that he must push through. After that, a door that he must also force open, only to find a room with a mirror in it where he is confused momentarily. At first, the character describes what he sees as a monster and he explains that it is horrifying to look at and that he is so shocked he must take steps to regain his balance. He explains that he gets so...