The Dunwich Horror

The novella begins with Wilbur Whateley’s birth in a farmhouse on the outskirts of Dunwich on February 2, 1913. He was born on Candlemas, a traditional Christian holiday, though Dunwich does not refer to the holiday as such. His mother is a “somewhat deformed, unattractive albino woman” named Lavinia Whateley (678), and they live with her father, Old Whateley, who has long been rumored to be obsessed with magic and witchcraft. No one in Dunwich knows the identity of Wilbur’s father. Lavinia has a reputation as a daydreaming loner. On announcing the birth of his grandson to the village, Old Whateley makes strange allusions to the mysterious nature of Wilbur’s father.

After Wilbur’s birth, the Whateley family begins buying cattle, which confuses the people of Dunwich. Though Old Whateley buys many cows, the size of his herd never seems to increase. Many of the cattle seem to suffer from malnourishment and terrible wounds. At the same time, Wilbur matures at an astonishing rate. On the night of Halloween, a neighbor spots Wilbur, still not one year old, seemingly running up Sentinel Hill with his mother. They are both naked, the neighbor believes, and running toward a giant fire. By 11 months old, Wilbur has learned to speak. His unique accent and strange tones beguile the people of Dunwich, though they remark on his “exceedingly ugly” appearance. Dogs instinctively distrust Wilbur.

Old Whateley continues to buy more cattle, though the herd’s size remains unchanged. He also makes extensive alterations to the family home, expanding many rooms but boarding all the windows. Gathering together his old, decaying books, he insists that his rapidly maturing grandson will make better use of them than he ever did. A strange smell emanates from the old family toolshed. Tremors in the ground and noises in the hills are noticed throughout Dunwich.

People notice a “dawning look of evil” on Wilbur’s face as the boy becomes more withdrawn and obsessed with his grandfather’s books (682). Every dog becomes agitated and aggressive near Wilbur and the Whateley home. Lavinia rarely speaks to anyone. When Dunwich struggles to provide soldiers for the military during World War I, attention falls on the Whateley family. Stories are printed in newspapers about Old Whateley’s obsession with magic and Wilbur’s strangely rapid maturation, and the sudden interest in the Whateley family surprises the townspeople. The townspeople are amused by the articles reporting that Old Whateley always pays for his cattle with “gold pieces of extremely ancient date” (683).

Though rumors of cattle sacrifices and strange noises in the Whateley house spread through Dunwich, the local people hesitate to call the authorities because they want to remain isolated. By 1923, Wilbur is only 10 years old but seems to have matured into a full-grown man. He and his grandfather make extensive renovations to the family home.

Old Whateley talks often about his imminent death. He praises the local birdlife. In 1923, Wilbur fetches the Dunwich doctor, Dr. Houghton, to help his grandfather. Dr. Houghton notices the “uncanny” noises in the house and the many birds gathered on the windowsill. With his dying words, Old Whateley tells Wilbur to “open up the gates to Yog-Sothoth with the long chant that ye’ll find on page 751 of the complete edition, an’ then put a match to the prison” (684). He encourages Wilbur to continue the renovations to accommodate something that, like Wilbur, continues to grow. He warns Wilbur not to allow the being to grow too much before summoning Yog-Sothoth. Old Whateley dies. Wilbur laughs to himself.

By this time, Wilbur has built up reputation as a scholar and corresponds with librarians at institutions with old books. He is disliked in Dunwich. People associate him with a number of young people disappearing, but Wilbur intimidates witnesses and pays them off with his grandfather’s ancient coins. He grows distant from his mother, who becomes afraid of him and what he is trying to do. On Halloween in 1926, giant flocks of birds gather at the Whateley home and more strange noises are heard in the hills. Lavinia Whateley disappears. By 1927, Wilbur has grown to seven feet tall. People notice that he is expanding his family home even more and that he is living in a shed nearby. They are reluctant to ask him about the disappearance of his mother.