Close Reading: "The White Ship" H.P. Lovecraft

H.P. Lovecraft, "The White Ship"

Lovecraft, H.P.. "The Works Of H.P. Lovecraft." The White Ship by H.P. Lovecraft. 01 Jan 2003. DragonBytes. 26 Apr 2008 .
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"Out of the South it was that the White Ship used to come when the moon was full and high in the heavens. Out of the South it would glide very smoothly and silently over the sea. And whether the sea was rough or calm, and whether the wind was friendly or adverse, it would always glide smoothly and silently, its sails distant and its long strange tiers of oars moving rhythmically."

This selection, taken from H.P. Lovecraft's "The White Ship" describes a very imaginative lighthouse keep by the name of Basil Elton. This particular selection is very crucial when trying to understand the image that Elton sees when he visits the ocean in a very intimate circumstance every night on full moons. This selection describes just what he sees when the mysterious white ship appears. The author has a very keen eye for description as throughout the entire story there are numerous situations that the author describes in full detail of what is appearing before the reader. This story has a very interesting tale; when the Basil Elton's journey with the white ship has ended, he wonders if it were truly an experience of reality or was it just the imagination wandering. Lovecraft's writing describes this journey, almost similar to Homer's odyssey, as Elton visits islands that are not of this world, thus giving him the impression that it may not have been real.