An analysis of The Case of Charles Dexter Ward Essay

An analysis of The Case of Charles Dexter Ward - Essay Example His work was known to inculcate pessimism and cynicism which are the opposite of the concepts and philosophies being promoted in his era such as Enlightenment, Romanticism, and Christian humanism (Lovecraft â€Å"Works†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Biography page 1). The novel â€Å"The Case of Charles Dexter Ward† is one of the famous novels of Lovecraft in the same atmosphere of horror and fantasy. It is about the main character Charles who became a mental case due to the results of his quest in knowing the life of one of his ancestors Joseph Curwen who was known for his evil activities during his lifetime. There are important points in the novel. One is the impact of fantasy in the novel, which can be considered as the focal point of the story. Without the magical and demonic return of the spirit of Curwen through Charles, the novel would have failed to progress. In any novel, there is a fight between forces of good and evil. And in relation to the common theme of Lovecraft’s works , cosmic horror had an important role and created confusion in the story as well. This can be observed on the decision of the main character to dedicate his life in finding Curwen inspired by the possibility of achieving his capabilities (Lovecraft â€Å"Works†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Biography page 1; Lovecraft â€Å"The Case†¦.† Part 1 Par. 6). The focus of the paper is the theme of the novel regarding education which is another important point in the works of Lovecraft. The story specifically pointed out the dangers of biased knowledge based on education focused on a singular aspect which is the quest for an ancestor and his capabilities. Analysis of the Dangers of Biased Education in the Novel H.P. Lovecraft is known for his... H.P. Lovecraft is known for his style of writing in the fantasy and horror fiction genre but most importantly he is known for the importance of education in the themes of his works. The Case of Charles Dexter Ward also shares the same theme. In the story, one of the most important elements that affected the fate of the main character is his biased knowledge due to the lack of balanced perspective. This ultimately resulted in his mental condition. Ward is a an educated person with a degree but â€Å"during the boy’s last year at the Moses Brown School, when he suddenly turned from the study of the past to the study of the occult, and refuse to qualify for college on the ground that he had individual researches of much greater importance to make† (Lovecraft â€Å"The Case†¦.† Part 1 Par. 6). This became the onset of his research on Joseph Curwen and the change in his behavior. One of the observed changes is the behavior and attitude of Charles is the neglect o f other areas of his life to pursue his quest for the occult. This is one of the most important evidence of the dangers of biased education. Due to his obsession to focus on one area of knowledge he underwent a self consuming form of one sided education which led to his mental condition and change in behavior. The behavior that was exhibited by Charles can be compared to brainwashing and other forms of influential effects wherein a person can be totally focused on a single activity, a single aspect of life or a single objective and block the rest.