Lovecraft Country

“It ain’t about happy. It’s about being whole. You have a right to that. You have a duty to that.” 

Montrose has witnessed terrible violence due to racism in society. The trauma of his past gives his life a purpose, one which he struggles to pass on to his son. Montrose is willing to give up his own happiness to achieve racial justice. He will not settle for an adequate existence or any form of compromise. In his view, no one should rest until true equality is found. Everything until that point—however happy it might make a person—is inherently tainted. 

“Sometimes you can just feel it: someone who doesn’t belong, trying to sneak in the back door when they think you aren’t paying attention.” 

Sheriff Hunt does not attempt to hide his disdain for African Americans. While holding Atticus, George, and Letitia at gunpoint, he speaks about them as though they are vermin trying to sneak into his house. The conversation is between Hunt and his deputy, but the words are spoken aloud for the benefit of the African American audience. Hunt wants to remind the African American characters of their low social status, while also confirming how little he cares that they can hear him. He does not mind being hated by people whose opinion he does not value. 

“But the blacks are bad enough. They’re smart. Not smart smart—they’re beasts—but clever enough to cause mischief.” 

Dell talks about the bears in the woods in the same way that Sheriff Hunt spoke about people who do not belong. Dell talks about black bears but the “blacks” (65) she references are a pointed reference to African Americans. She loads her words with racist tropes (such as African Americans being beasts of inferior intelligence), taking pleasure in insulting Atticus and his friends. Even in the strange village of Ardham, society’s racism is inescapable and makes no effort to hide itself. 

“Atticus tried to deduce which if any of them had real magic powers; but evidently sorcerers, like Communists, were hard to identify by sight.” 

Atticus looks to his past to find some explanation for his present. His experience in the Korean War provides a point of reference, in that the people who use magic have no outward indication that this is the case. He has learned to fear white people due to the racism in society and identifying white people is easy. However, communists and sorcerers are not so easily identifiable by sight. Atticus has spent a life at war, whether against the North Koreans or simply trying to exist as an African American man in America. However, nothing has prepared him to fight against magic. 

“Diluted, no doubt, and also tainted somewhat, but still useful for the work we have to do.”

Samuel Braithwhite does not view Atticus as a person, merely as a vessel for a potent blood. His evaluation of Atticus frames the African American man as a disgraced echo of something familiar. Atticus has the same Braithwhite blood but, by being the “wrong” race, that blood has been corrupted. Braithwhite is a practical man who sees the usefulness of Atticus, but he cannot give up his racist biases. Regardless of any magical powers in the blood, regardless of whether Atticus is a good person, regardless of what happens, the blood will always be tainted because it is contained in the “wrong” color body. 

“He’s going to summon up one of the Elder Klansmen.”

Montrose sees the racist structures of the Order of the Ancient Dawn. To him, they are an extension of the Ku Klux Klan, the white supremacists who terrorized African American communities throughout the history of the United States. The two organizations share a fondness for robes and a nomenclature, but Montrose is more focused on their obsession with blood. The Klan hated anyone who wasn’t white, believing that their blood was corrupted. The Order shares a similar obsession, as it is willing to kill Atticus to extract the blood which he has seemingly stolen from a white family. Montrose sees the parallels between the organizations, so makes jokes about the similarities. 

“Pray for me.” 

Before he leaves for a magical ritual, Atticus takes part in a similar act of spiritualism. He asks his friends and family members to pray for him, requesting that they cast the equivalent of a protective spell over him. The comment draws a comparison between routine Christian spiritualism, which is built into society, and the more esoteric, strange magic spells which the characters encounter. Both religion and magic are supernatural in nature, so the text draws the reader’s attention to the way spiritualism and magic are more commonplace than might be expected, just like racism. 

“Atticus said nothing, only faced forward, and tried to believe that the country into which they now traveled was different from the one they left behind.” 

A key message of Lovecraft Country is that the Lovecraftian horrors conjured by magical spells pose just as much of a threat as the pernicious racism which is found in every part of American society. As Atticus drives away from Ardham, he is swapping one kind of terror for another. For all of the strange beasts and magical spells which threatened his life, he is just as likely to be killed by a disgruntled police officer. The two worlds are the same to him, as he must always stay vigilant to keep himself and his family safe. 

“Then rage filled her, and she was up on her feet and moving.” 

Letitia is not a passive character. She purchases a haunted house but refuses to allow Hiram Winthrop’s ghost to get the better of her. As such, she chooses to get angry rather than scared. Letitia knows her rights as a human, as a citizen, and as a homeowner. She is prepared to fight for those rights, whether than means challenging the racist society by buying a home in a white neighborhood or by leaping to her feet when a ghost knocks her down. 

“Then time seemed to stop and Letitia heard her father’s voice again, reminding her of the rules of this particular game: who could be shot in the back with impunity, and who couldn’t, and what lay at stake if you confused the two.” 

One way in which racism manifests in society is the different responses expected from people of different races. White people are seemingly allowed to break into Letitia’s home and terrorize her, but she is not permitted to defend herself. Even when she has the home invaders in her sights, she stops herself. In a moment of desperation, when Letitia is fighting for her life, she must remind herself that she is an African American woman and society expects her to change her behavior accordingly.

“Where appropriate, Adah added, in her own hand, symbols representing insults she’d suffered: Whippings. Beatings. Other.”

Adah was formerly enslaved. Once she was free, she created a document of every injustice she suffered. The book she produced is a comprehensive account of her suffering and her trauma but there are certain parts of her past which are too difficult to confront. Whippings and beatings inflict physical pain, but “other” (128) is implied to mean sexual violence. Rape by enslavers is hinted at by Adah, but it is difficult to put into words. Even symbols will not suffice. The pain endured by those enslaved is impossible to express but completely understood by Adah’s descendants. 

“Of course there were a lot of people with romantic misconceptions about Freemasonry.” 

George and Montrose are members of a special Freemasons lodge which permits African American men to join. They recruit fellow members to search for a book of magic. For Mortimer, this presents an inherent irony. He joined the Freemasons as he was desperate to learn hidden, arcane knowledge about the universe. While this knowledge does not come from the Freemasons’ history, Mortimer does learn about magic through his fellow members. Through his “romantic misconceptions about Freemasonry,” he learns about an actual secret society, just not in the way he expected. 

“Venetia Burney wasn’t just any girl.” 

Hippolyta learns that race is not the only barrier she must break down. Venetia Burney has the same idea as Hippolyta to name a new planet Pluto, but Venetia is part of a famous family of astronomers. These family connections give Venetia a head start which cannot be matched by any hard work Hippolyta performs. Nepotism and connections provide a privilege which Hippolyta has no chance to overcome, particularly when added to her racial oppression. The numerous ways in which privilege manifests is a lesson Hippolyta learns at a very young age. 

“A wanderer in darkness, she followed an eccentric orbit, each new disturbance angling her closer to some long-awaited rendezvous.” 

Hippolyta’s yearning to be an astronomer is partially satisfied by her role as a researcher for The Safe Negro Travel Guide. Just as she did when looking through a telescope, she goes on a journey through physical space and writes down her findings for others to follow. Whether she is looking for star systems or restaurants which serve African American customers, she is creating a path for others to follow. The research trips become a chance to explore and share, but they never quite capture the boundless escapism Hippolyta felt when looking at the stars. 

“Tourist cabins would be a bargain, provided you could find someone to rent to you.” 

Hippolyta travels millions of miles to a distant planet and experiences things which few humans have ever encountered. However, the experience of being African American means that she can never quite escape the trauma of racism. She talks with Ida about the planet, which has a tropical beach which seems almost like paradise. But a thought intrudes at the back of her mind, reminding her that—even a million miles from home—her experiences of holiday homes are tainted by racism. The joke reveals how racism is felt even in unexpected moments. 

“Letitia in her mansion, bought with money she hadn’t lifted a finger to earn.”

Ruby tries not to resent her sister but the thoughts creep into her mind anyway. Letitia tried to welcome Ruby into the Winthrop House, but Ruby is too proud to accept charity. Whereas Letitia is happy to live in a house she did not earn, Ruby feels a need to work for the success she imagines is due to her. Her resentment of her sister comes from an inability to comprehend a person who could accept something they did not earn, tinged with a hint of jealousy towards this easier form of existence. Ruby is determined to succeed, but to do so on her own terms. 

“The waiter, his true self almost as well hidden here as Ruby’s, only smiled politely, as if New York had complimented him on his choice of bow tie, and turned quickly to offer the tray to Hillary.” 

The Order members who gather at the party have a knowledge of magic and the esoteric arts which allow them to disguise themselves and endure great injuries without showing pain. These magical spells are complicated forms of skills African Americans must learn in daily life. The waiter deflects the comments and insults which are thrown at him by the guests. He maintains his smile throughout and hides his true self. Ruby recognizes that he is wearing a disguise and a protection which does not come from magic, but from the experience of living in a racist society for many years. 

‘“When you put me in a cellar with a chain around my ankle,’ Montrose said, ‘it’s assumed.’” 

Montrose is unafraid to speak his mind. He understands that the experience of slavery is more than just words and gestures. Caleb points out that he has never said a racist slur and that he has given plenty of money to the African American characters. Montrose responds that Caleb placed him in a prison and put a chain around his ankle. Caleb’s actions speak louder, in Montrose’s opinion, than his words. Caleb may not say certain words and he may give up a tiny fraction of his enormous fortune, but his behavior is the product of the racist views and beliefs which are a foundational part of society. Caleb views himself as an enlightened and modern man, while Montrose points out that his actions are no different than those of the enslavers in the past. 

“It wasn’t until I had a son of my own—a son who wouldn’t listen—that I understood what he felt.” 

Montrose and Atticus have a turbulent relationship. Understanding Montrose’s own relationship with his father can help explain why he is so overprotective of Atticus. Montrose was once a son who did not listen, and he lost his father as a result. He tries and fails to convince Atticus to listen to him, but he lacks the ability to convey his emotions. Montrose has never really grappled with his past trauma, so he barely understands himself. By telling his story to the ghost of Henry Winthrop, he comes to understand how his own painful memories influence his difficult relationship with Atticus, allowing him to improve and heal his bond with his son. 

“But my dad said Jim Crow doesn’t work like that.” 

Young African American boys grow up in a world in which their parents and elders tell them stories about racism to help guide them through the world. These stories are essentially fables, designed to provide life lessons and advice in a memorable fashion. Stories about oppression and Jim Crow laws are told to kids like bedtime stories, warning them to stay vigilant and stay safe at all times. These stories help African Americans to survive in a world which is hostile to their existence, as they learn from a very young age. 

“Once again, Horace was made to hold still while a white man massaged his scalp.” 

Caleb removes the spell from Horace, but the method of removal is much the same as the method of application. Horace sits still while an unknown white man rubs his head. This experience shows how little anything changes, even in the face of supposedly positive changes. Horace is still a passive participant in the procedure, and he lacks the power to do anything for himself. He must subjugate himself to a white person and hope that, this time, their mood if altruistic. Rather than being taught how to remove the spell for themselves, the African American characters are forced to rely on the assistance of a white man to solve a problem inflicted on them by another white man, preventing them from breaking from the shackles of racism on their own terms. 

“So congratulations: You may have hated your father’s guts, but it sounds like you’re just like him.” 

Lancaster uses Caleb’s strained relationship with Samuel as a cudgel with which to beat him. The police chief is not wrong in his assessment of the similarity between the Braithwhites, but the way he uses the comparison reveals that he aims to taunt Caleb about a murder rather than actually condemn him as a murderer. Lancaster does not care that Caleb is a criminal, as he uses his role as a police chief to prosecute whomever he pleases. Crimes become fodder for insults rather than transgressions against the social order. Lancaster’s insult shows what he is willing to tolerate, particularly in comparison to the minor offenses which can cost an African American person their life. 

“You think I don’t know what country I live in? I know. We all do.” 

Atticus reveals the fundamental truth about African American existence in 1950s America, which Caleb fails to grasp. For all of the threats posed by magic, the African American characters are just as much in danger of dying at the hands of a disgruntled policeman or the false accusation of a white woman as they are at the hands of some Lovecraftian monster from another dimension. Atticus is not scared of Caleb’s threats because the society in which he lives threatens him every single day. Caleb, like every other white character, lives such a privileged life that he cannot perceive the real danger is society, rather than the magic which the Order wields.