The House on the Borderland · Characters
Character guide
Key figures in The House on the Borderland by William Hope Hodgson.
The Recluse
major
Also known as Unknown, me, I, mine, myself
The unnamed narrator and protagonist who lives in the strange house with his sister and dog.
Pepper
supporting
Also known as old Pepper
The narrator's faithful dog who accompanies him through many of his terrifying adventures.
Tonnison
supporting
Also known as Messrs. Tonnison, himself
One of the two men who discover the manuscript and recount the story.
Mary
supporting
Also known as herself
The narrator's sister who lives with him in the house and shares his peril.
Jupiter
minor
A celestial entity or planet personified in the narrator's cosmic visions.
Tip
minor
Also known as its
A small creature or entity mentioned briefly in the narrative.
Hush
minor
A name or exclamation appearing in the text, possibly a character or sound.
William Hope Hodgson
minor
The author, mentioned as the editor or discoverer of the manuscript.
The Swine-Things
supporting
Also known as VI The Swine - Things, Things
Grotesque pig-like creatures that attack the house in a sustained siege.
Jesus
minor
A brief religious allusion in the narrator's thoughts.
The Dead
minor
Ghostly or spectral figures encountered in the house or visions.
Hark
minor
A name or exclamation, possibly a character or sound in the narrative.
Good Lord
minor
An exclamation or personification used in the text.
Halloween
minor
A reference to the holiday, possibly in the narrator's setting.
Kali
minor
A mythological allusion in the narrator's cosmic visions.
Seth
minor
A biblical or mythological name mentioned in passing.
Souls
minor
Abstract entities or spirits referenced in the narrative.
Whistling
minor
A sound or entity associated with the house's eerie phenomena.
Jove
minor
A mythological reference to Jupiter in the narrator's visions.
Saturn
minor
A planet or deity personified in the narrator's cosmic journey.
Dear One
minor
A term of endearment used by the narrator, possibly for Mary.
Messengers
minor
Beings or entities that appear in the narrator's visions.
