Allegory of Anti-Immigrationism
On the surface, "The Terrible Old Man" is a tale about three thugs who attempt to rob what they think is an eccentric but helpless elderly man who, despite being quite odd and creepy, has accumulated a valuable treasure. They get more than they bargained for when the old man turns out not to be what he appears to be. Yet when you consider the names of the robbers, and notice that they have names that are Polish, Hispanic, and Italian, the story can be read as a xenophobic criticism of immigration. At the time Lovecraft wrote this story, thousands of immigrants from Poland, Italy, and Latin America were coming to the United States in search of wealth. The supposed evil intentions of these immigrants, and the fate that awaited them, are reflected in the fate of the robbers. Yet although the robbers are portrayed in a negative way, the America symbolized by the old man is not entirely positive.
Allegory of Forbidden Knowledge
The stories in which human beings are punished for seeking out forbidden or esoteric knowledge can be interpreted as an allegory for the Biblical story in which Adam and Eve are exiled from Eden in punishment for having eaten of the forbidden fruit which granted them knowledge. Although none of Lovecraft's stories are religious-- and many are in fact anti-religious-- "Beyond the Wall of Sleep" tells the story of a doctor who attempts to probe the reasons behind a murderous psychopath's visions and dreams. This results in the doctor gaining an awareness of extraterrestrial "beings of light", and losing his grip on reality. Likewise, "From Beyond" shows how a scientist decays physically and morally after developing a machine that enables people to see and interact with beings from other dimensions. These patterns of falling into a lower state of grace correspond to the exile from Eden in the Judeo-Christian creation story.
Tomb as symbol of acceptance
The mausoleum featured in "The Tomb" belongs to a prominent and wealthy family. All the members of the family are buried in it, including many who died in a disastrous fire. The main character, while appearing to be in the process of losing his sanity, gradually becomes aware that he is a reincarnated member of this family. His dreams of sleeping in the tomb symbolize his membership in the family, and the grave that has his name on it is reserved for him. Ironically, the tomb-- typically a negative image associated with death-- is in this case an ironic symbol of acceptance and of belonging.
Water motif
Water, one of the classical elements associated with mystery, change, femininity, and darkness, appears repeatedly in Lovecraft's stories. The water motif is invariably a negative one. The houses in Water street (in "The Street") develop hostile intent. Dagon rises from the ocean, and the temple explored by the submarine captain is deep undersea. In both the latter cases the water concealed a hidden horror. Characters associated with the water, such as the Terrible Old Man and the various mariners that explore the sea, tend to be sinister in nature.
Ape as symbol of human degredation
In three of the stories in this book, apes are presented either as degraded humans who are no longer capable of creation or reason ("Memory"), as creatures into which human beings might be transformed after too many years away from civilization ("The Beast in the Cave"), or as a humanoid life form with which depraved and degraded humans might interbreed ("Facts Concerning the Late Arthur Jermyn and His Family"). This could be a reference to, or a commentary on, the popular misunderstanding of Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species, in which people misinterpret Darwin's theory and believe that Darwin claims people are descended from apes.
