Summary

The short story “The Outsider” by H.P. Lovecraft begins with the unnamed narrator describing his lonely life. The narrator lives in a dark castle, does not know for how long he has been living there, and does not recall ever seeing or speaking to anyone. He also does not know what he looks like, as there are no mirrors in the castle. The narrator spends his time roaming the dark castle filled with skeletons, bats, and rats, and the only things he knows about the outside world come from books. 

One day, he decides to climb the dangerous staircase to the castle tower, determined to see the sky for the first time. The narrator feels that he climbs for ages before he eventually reaches a trap-door in the ceiling, which he opens. The narrator manages to climb through and believes that he is somewher...