In Lovecraft’s “The Music of Erich Zann,” the viol that Erich Zann loves to play is a symbol for a drug because Zann becomes addicted to playing his viol. The story begins with a university student, who is the narrator, telling of the time he visited Paris and had to stay in lodging that he could afford, which is where he met Erich Zann, the protagonist, who plays otherworldly music with his viol. The college student stays in an apartment on Rue d’Auseil street, which is in a part of the city he had never seen before. Here, he meets Erich Zann, an old, mute German man who plays the viol. When Zann is alone at night, he plays strange melodies that have never been heard before. Soon, the student gains Zann’s trust and learns of his secret. Zann
