The story “The Voice in the Night” by William Hope Hodgson begins with a ship’s captain, which I believe Is George, and then Will and another seaman, out on their voyage in the Northern Pacific Ocean. He and his crew discover a little boat floating in the wide sea. Inside the boat, there was a guy in serious difficulty and need of help, but he was really strange because he would disappear and appear out of nowhere and it’s like he didn’t want to be seen. But it soon seemed it’s because he had faced “some intolerable horror.”
The guy in the boat tells the captain and crew a terrifying story of how he and his wife were stranded on an abandoned island when their ship sank. On the island, they encountered odd otherworldly beings that were like grey fungus that appeared from the depths of the ocean. He barely got off the island alive after seeing how many of the fungus there was around the boat. However, the wife died after eating the fungus that was created by this odd creature since they were running out of food and she was curious about eating one, leaving the person on the boat scarred by the inexplicable atrocities he witnessed, which is why he didn’t want to go near the captain and the crewmates in the first place.
This story explores themes of isolation, despair, and existential terror as the individual on the little boat and his wife encounter entities beyond human comprehension. Hodgson creates a sense of mystery and fear, through their journey, the story addresses the world’s secrets, which go beyond explanations and can drive people insane. This scar theme is used throughout Hodgson’s career as a writer, especially ordinary stuff like sea creatures and this story really delved into it.
Maybe next time you can review the passage so as to not question yourself such as in the first paragraph and in paragraph two your words are somewhat slurred after stating the wife dies after eating the fungus which in the story didn’t cause her death immediately
I really like how well you were able to explain the stories themes in a very simple way that gets the point across. I also believe the story deals a lot with existential terror, especially with the creation of this horrific creatures, very well done.
Truly a scary situation to be in, to be around that fungus.
Hey Alexis,
I think that your summary provides a solid overview of the story and its significance. A question that I have for you is, How do you think the encounter with the man on the boat in “The Voice in the Night” contributes to the overall sense of mystery and fear in the story?