The Damned Thing- Cultural Context

In, “The Damned Thing”, by Ambrose Bierce, he demonstrates the cultural fears of the unknown. In the story, Hugh Morgan was experiencing things out of this nature. He wrote in a diary that something must be out there. Stars disappear in the sky as if something was moving in front of them, he found evidence of “it” and he has a feeling of wanting to be pushed out of his land, home, and world. He started to think that this thing was making him mad, or that he already has been due to his obsession of trying to solve this mystery. He had William Harker visit him so that he could see if he thought he was mad or not. While Harker’s visit, Morgan took him quail hunting. It turned out to be something bigger then a quail, it was “that damned thing”. This mysterious creature would lead to Morgan’s demise.

The fear of the unknown has been around since the beginning of time. It is hard believe that out of all the space outside of the world, we are the only living things around. It is common for people to believe in ghost, aliens, and other things to try to make sense of the strange phenomenons. Today there are still stories and tv shows of how different people are encountering aliens, and seeing ghost. In this story, despite Morgan's diary entries, the jury explained his death caused my a moutian lion. It was clear in his diary that there was something else out there, haunting him. Bierce conveyed how the unfamiliar can make people go mad. “We so rely upon the orderly operation of familiar natural laws that any seeming suspension of them is noted as a menace to our safety, a warning of unthinkable calamity.” (Pg 124)