Roses are red, violets are blue, this is a color classification system, just for you. I have just presented an example of the classification system of colors. Just as we can use colors to help describe flowers, there are numerous classification systems that help describe and make sense of the world by classifying objects into their rightful place. The narrator, Dyer in H.P. Lovecraft’s novel, The Mountains of Madness, is a famous geologist who travels an unknown region of the Antarctic to explore. As a geologist, Dyer uses different classification tools to help describe unknown places and species that he discovers. Scientists try to describe how the world works, and to so, they have created scientific classification systems. Humans have used different classification methods to help describe the world and to make sense of it, however, when something falls outside of the classification boundaries, a crisis of category occurs, and a monstrous situation arises. Humans have created social norms, the rules that a group uses for appropriate and inappropriate values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors, and if a person were to break these established rules, they are seen as monstrous. Throughout The Mountains of Madness, Dyer the geologist discovers new species and artifacts which he tries to describe according to his geological classification systems. Based on Dyers knowledge of how the current world works, he uses his scientific categories to classify species into their rightful place.

The goal of science is to explain how the world works, through mathematical formulas and physical laws that govern the world. In the Mountains of Madness, a group of geologists venture into the Arctic to explore a new territory of land. The science of geology consists of the “study of the solid matter that constitutes the earth. Encompassing such things as rocks, soil, and gemstones, geology studies the composition, structure, physical properties, history, and the processes that shape Earth's components.”(Wikipedia:Geology) Geologists study and describe the living and non-living inhabitants of earth and place these things into categories based on specific classification methods and tools. One of these tools is the geological timescale, which Dyer uses to classify the estimated life of a specimen that he finds. In being able to classify the time that a specimen originated, Dyer is also able to associate what its habitat was like, and what other things were around during that specific geological time period.

When Lake, one of Dyer’s crewmates, discovers a new species in a hidden cave, he at once jumps into describing the specimen, “Their wings seem to be membranous, stretched on frame work of glandular tubing. Apparent minute orifices in frame tubing at wing tips. Ends of body shriveled, giving no clue to interior or to what has been broken off there.”(Lovecraft) Throughout the novel, the geologists go to great depths to describe the unknown species they encounter in order to gain insight on how the species lived and survived while they inhabited the earth. However, when Dyer later tries to classify the same species, he has the problem of not being able to use his current classification system to properly classify it,”One could hardly hesitate to call the thing animal; but internal inspection brought up so many vegetable evidences.” (Lovecraft) This creates a monstrous situation, as the geologist is unable to classify this new species with his current knowledge of how the world works.

This new species, which Lake names “The Elder Ones”, ends up being a species that lived over 500 million years ago and created its own civilization inhabiting the Artic. Lake describes The Elder Ones as “Tough, muscular arms four feet long and tapering from seven inches diameter at base to about two and five-tenths at point…inner angles of starfish arrangement project two-foot reddish tubes tapering from three inches diameter at base to one at tip…Four-foot arms with paddles”(Lovecraft) Lake meticulously describes every aspect of the species in order to classify it and also explain how it lived and survived in the arctic. Lake, who went out exploring and left Dyer behind retreats for the day, and sleeps through a blizzard. In the morning, Lake is unreachable by radio, and Dyer flies to their base camp as soon as he can. When Dyer reaches Lake’s camp, he finds that Lake and all of his crew members are dead, along with their dogs, and all their supplies are ruined. Dyer, the great explorer that he is, decides to continue the investigation Lake began.

In doing so, Dyer finds the city that The Elder Ones created and inhabited. He discovered that The Elder Ones were of superior intelligence as, “their scientific and mechanical knowledge far surpassed man’s today.”(Lovecraft) Dyer also discovered writings that suggested that The Elder Ones discovered many of the same scientific feats that humans possess. Dyer explains some of The Elder Ones geological findings, “In certain cases existing science will require revision, while in other cases its bold deductions are magnificently confirmed.”(Lovecraft,pg) Dyer at once gains a huge amount of appreciation for this new species, as he can relate to their scientific findings, which show superior intelligence.

As Dyer explores more, he find evidence that The Elder Ones had a self serving government, a monetary system, and even created synthetic slaves called Shoggoths. They created a civilization that could inhabit the Arctic, where no humans have yet to even venture. In this sense, Dyer overlooks the species abnormal body parts, and sees the Elder Ones as a truly magnificent creature. If Dyer were to classify The Elder Ones as human or monsters, he would overlook the five-start pointed head, and the eight tentacle legs, and see their intelligence as being truly humane. As a geologist whose job it is to describe and classify species, Dyer is truly intrigued by this species, so much that, instead of running when he sees that Lake and the rest of his crew were all dead, he continues to explore.

When defining what a monster is, the dictionary definition is, “a legendary animal combining features of animal and human form or having the forms of various animals in combination.”(dictionary.com:monster) If Dyer were to use this definition to classify The Elder Ones, they surely would be classified as monstrous. When looking at the word define, which originates from the Latin word finis or end (Livanos), and we try to define where humanity ends and monstrous begins, to put a classification on something that is monstrous, boundaries are placed on what is humane and what is inhumane. The only thing monstrous about The Elder Ones is that their outer body is unlike any human, as they have a starfish head and tentacles. However, when looking within, they were of superior intelligence, had a fondness for art, and knew of many of the same scientific discoveries that humans know of. Although, this would make them legendary, they were in fact real, and far superior to humans, therefore Dyer leans towards not classifying them as monstrous. When defining when something is humane, “characterized by tenderness, compassion, and sympathy for people and animals,” (dictionary.com:humane) humans use a classification method to describe socially acceptable behavior, just as Dyer uses his classification methods to describe his species.

Although some believe sociology is not a science, it also uses classification methods to determine what is socially acceptable. Social norms, “rules that a group uses for appropriate and inappropriate values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors,” (changingminds.org) can be used by groups of people to distinguish what is right and wrong. Through Dyer’s investigations, he concluded that The Elder Ones lived together in homes, created a social system with a “Government …evidently complex and probably socialistic, extensive commerce, both local and between different cities - certain small, flat counters, five-pointed and inscribed, serving as money.” (Lovercraft) The Elder Ones created and existed in a socially vibrant city just as humans exist today. Dyer uses the social norms humans have established and can tell that the Elder Ones were humane by our standards, as they were likely to have a governmental system, and appreciated the same things we humans do. Dyer does not classify The Elder Ones as monstrous, but as humane, as they contain many of the same humane characteristics as humans, thus the Elder Ones fit in the same category as humans.

Science helps us describe how the world works the way it does. Dyer the geologist uses classification tools to help describe and classify the species that finds while exploring. While Dyer tries to initially describe the species named The Elder Ones, he at first cannot place the species into a specific category, as it looks like it is both animal and vegetable. This creates a crisis of category as Dyer’s current classification methods do not have a category to place the species. However, as Dyer investigates more, he starts to unveil the species intelligence and gains an understanding for their human like characteristics. This intelligence which Dyer proclaimed was far superior than man’s, shows that even though this species that has many abnormal parts on the outside, they also contain many humane characteristics that are similar to humans today. Just as humans have the classification system of social norms to determine what is socially acceptable, Dyer sympathizes with The Elder Ones and is entranced by their inner beauty, an. Dyer does not classify The Elder Ones as monstrous, but as humane due to their similar human characteristics that many people contain today.

Bibliography

Mountains of Madness by H.P Lovecraft

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geology

Dictionary.com
http://changingminds.org/explanations/theories/social_norms.htm