# The Recluse — The House on the Borderland character guide

> The Recluse in The House on the Borderland by William Hope Hodgson.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Unknown, me, I, mine, myself

**First appearance:** 0003-the-house-on-the-borderland

## Snapshot

An unnamed recluse who stays in a remote, ill-omened house for the sake of a spectral beloved, and writes down what the place shows him.

## Who they are

He lives quietly with his sister Mary and his dog, yet admits he nearly fled the house before the visions began. Love for a woman who warns him against the place—and who can only reach him there—binds him to it against all reason. His stubborn vigil opens the door to the Sea of Sleep and everything that follows.

## In the story

### [Author's Introduction to the Manuscript](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/author-s-introduction-to-the-manuscript)

The old recluse of the vanished house who wrote the manuscript; referred to as the source of the account.

### [The House on the Borderland](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/the-house-on-the-borderland)

The diarist who experiences visions and cosmic journeys from the house.

### [I: The Finding of the Manuscript](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/i-the-finding-of-the-manuscript)

The narrator discovers the manuscript and later reads it aloud.

### [II: The Plain of Silence](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/ii-the-plain-of-silence)

The narrator begins his diary, describing his life in the ancient house and his vision of the Plain of Silence.

### [III: The House in the Arena](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/iii-the-house-in-the-arena)

The narrator is transported through the rift, observes the arena and the beast-gods, and is lifted away from the swine-thing's attack.

### [IV: The Earth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/iv-the-earth)

Returns to Earth and his study after a cosmic journey; disoriented and hungry, he struggles to reconcile his visions with reality.

### [V: The Thing in the Pit](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/v-the-thing-in-the-pit)

Investigates the Pit, confronts the swine-thing, and endures a night of terror.

### [VI: The Swine-Things](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/vi-the-swine-things)

Investigates the Pit, shoots the swine-things, fortifies the house, and experiences a paralyzing stare from a creature at the window.

### [VII: The Attack](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/vii-the-attack)

Defends the study, shoring up the door and firing from the roof; inspects windows after the attack.

### [VIII: After the Attack](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/viii-after-the-attack)

Spends the day in weary vigilance, locks his sister in her room, and prepares for another night in the tower.

### [IX: In the Cellars](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/ix-in-the-cellars)

Forces himself to explore the cellars despite fear and unease; discovers the trap door and hears a disturbing sound from below.

### [X: The Time of Waiting](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/x-the-time-of-waiting)

Maintains a watch from the tower, cares for Mary and Pepper, and debates whether the Swine-Things have truly left.

### [XI: The Searching of the Gardens](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/xi-the-searching-of-the-gardens)

Ventures outside to search the gardens and the Pit, observing changes and assessing danger.

### [XII: The Subterranean Pit](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/xii-the-subterranean-pit)

Overcomes his fear to explore the subterranean pit, nearly drowns in a sudden flood, and is accompanied by Pepper.

### [XIII: The Trap in the Great Cellar](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/xiii-the-trap-in-the-great-cellar)

Discovers the trap door's connection to the Pit, faints, and later recovers from illness.

### [XIV: The Sea of Sleep](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/xiv-the-sea-of-sleep)

The narrator experiences a vision of the Sea of Sleep and reunites with his lost love.

### [The Fragments](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/the-fragments)

The narrator describes his astral journey through space, observing the accelerated orbits of planets.

### [XV: The Noise in the Night](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/xv-the-noise-in-the-night)

Watches the accelerated passage of time from his study, growing old and weary.

### [XVI: The Awakening](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/xvi-the-awakening)

Awakens as a bodiless consciousness, observing the decay of his own body and the world.

### [XVII: The Slowing Rotation](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/xvii-the-slowing-rotation)

Observes the sun's death, the slowing rotation, and the freezing of the Earth over countless millennia.

### [XVIII: The Green Star](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/xviii-the-green-star)

Endures aeons of darkness and cold, watching the dead Earth and the emergence of the green star; experiences despair, hope, and fear of the Pit.

### [XIX: The End of the Solar System](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/xix-the-end-of-the-solar-system)

Observes the end of the solar system from the house and later floats in space.

### [XX: The Celestial Globes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/xx-the-celestial-globes)

The narrator drifts among the celestial globes, experiences a vision of the Sea of Sleep, and is reunited with his lost love.

### [XXI: The Dark Sun](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/xxi-the-dark-sun)

Experiences joy and despair as he reunites with and loses his love again; contemplates cosmic mysteries.

### [XXII: The Dark Nebula](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/xxii-the-dark-nebula)

Drifts through space and time, observing the dark nebula and the sorrowful faces, then drawn into the Plain of Silence and the colossal House.

### [XXIII: Pepper](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/xxiii-pepper)

Returns to the study, disoriented, and discovers Pepper's remains.

### [XXIV: The Footsteps in the Garden](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/xxiv-the-footsteps-in-the-garden)

Narrates the chapter, mourning Pepper and recounting the terrifying events in the garden.

### [XXV: The Thing from the Arena](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/xxv-the-thing-from-the-arena)

Fights against an unseen force compelling him to open the door to the gardens; later observes the dog's wound and decides to stay in the house for the Sea of Sleep.

### [XXVI: The Luminous Speck](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/xxvi-the-luminous-speck)

Awakens to find a luminous speck on his wrist, which spreads into a corrupting growth; he becomes increasingly desperate and contemplates suicide.

### [Conclusion](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/xxvii-conclusion)

The narrator of the frame story, who reads the manuscript and questions its veracity before ultimately accepting Tonnison's belief.

### [Grief](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/grief)

The speaker of the poem, consumed by grief and isolation after the death of a beloved.

### [Endnotes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/endnotes)

Referenced indirectly as the author of the manuscript; his writing is damaged and fragmented.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/characters/narrator
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/characters