‘Salem’s Lot (Stephen King) Conclusion

The connection of the Vampire Myth to contemporary religious beliefs is usually limited to the holding of a crucifix to “ward off” a vampire.  You might occasionally run into the use of “holy water” as well, but beyond that, perhaps the less said the better.  In this book, religion, especially Catholicism, plays a major role, and Mr. King does not shy away from the ramifications.  Father Callahan, the local priest, is brought into the picture and becomes a central figure in the story.

Callahan insists, as any priest probably should, on acting as a representative of the church in his part against the vampires, and requires everyone in his confidence to give him their confessions before he will participate.  Ben, though not a Catholic, complies, experiencing ‘the dull embarrassment that went along with telling a stranger the mean secrets of his life . . . There was something medieval about it, something accursed – a ritual act of regurgitation . . . The confessional might have been a direct pipeline to the days when werewolves and incubi and witches were an accepted part of the outer darkness and the church the only beacon of light.’ Is this the author or the character giving us his take on confessions?

The first indication of the religious connection to the supernaturalism that actually occurs in the story is when Father Callahan approaches the front door of the Marsten house and says, ‘ “In the name of God the Father . . . I command the evil to be gone from this house!  Spirits, depart!”   And without being aware he was going to do it, he smote the door with the crucifix in his hand.  There was a flash of light – afterward they all agreed there had been – a pungent whiff of ozone, and a crackling sound, as if the boards themselves had screamed.  The curved fanlight above the door suddenly exploded outward, and the large bay window to the left that overlooked the lawn coughed its glass onto the grass at the same instant.’  Who needs Thor’s hammer when a little silver cross can do all that?  Is this the point where all good Catholics toss the book into the trash and write Mr. King a scathing letter rebuking him for his blasphemies?

The suspense has been building for the entire book regarding the mysterious Mr. Barlow, and what he might look like or how he might act.  We finally meet him (on page 535 of this edition!) and the first image we are given is; ‘. . . a white, grinning face like something out of a Frazetta painting. . .’  To those of us who are familiar with the works of Frank Frazetta, there is a lot of aesthetic impact in this phrase.  Otherwise, it could come off as somewhat of a copout.  Fortunately, the continuation is: ‘. . . which split to reveal long sharp fangs – and red, lurid eyes like furnace doors to hell.’  Subsequent descriptive passages fill in the character a little better (including an intriguing passage where Mark spits in Barlow’s face and ‘Barlow’s breath stopped.’  Uh . . . do vampires breathe?) but for those of us who love this kind of thing, King doesn’t give us near enough.  True, shedding too much light (pun alert) on the chief vampire might result in overexposure, and it’s always better to “leave them wanting more” as the old entertainment maxim goes.  But some of us were looking for a more developed character in the main antagonist, even if he was “dead” before the story began!

Of course there can be no happy ending to this story.  Ben and Mark return a year later to a village virtually deserted (except at night, it’s understood) and Ben contrives a way to recreate the Great Fire of ’51 which played a prominent role in the town’s history, finding the conditions to be right.  Burning down all the hiding places of the vampires which still haunt the town would flush them out where they can be dealt with by the light of day.  As tidy an ending as one might expect for this amazing and impressive legend of a book!

 

November’s book of the month; “The Forest of Hands and Teeth,” by Carrie Ryan!

"A bleak but gripping story...Poignant and powerful."- Publishers Weekly:  Starred

"A postapocalyptic romance of the first order, elegantly written from title to last line."-Scott Westerfeld, author of the Uglies series and Leviathan

"Intelligent, dark, and bewitching, The Forest of Hands and Teeth transitions effortlessly between horror and beauty. Mary's world is one that readers will not soon forget."-Cassandra Clare, bestselling author of City of Bones

"Opening The Forest of Hands and Teeth is like cracking Pandora's box: a blur of darkness and a precious bit of hope pour out. This is a beautifully crafted, page-turning, powerful novel. I thoroughly enjoyed it."-Melissa Marr, bestselling author of Wicked Lovely and Ink Exchange

Dark and sexy and scary.”  Justine Larbalestier, author of How to Ditch Your Fairy

 

 

Week 1:  Chapters 1-8 

(First post, 11-7-14)

Week 2:  Chapters 9-17
Week 3:  Chapters 18-25
Week 4:  Chapters 26-36