Cross-book Inquiry: 'Salem's Lot
The book that I am just about to finish is 'Salem's Lot, by Stephen King., and it is a thrilling book that takes me to the edge of my seat. 'Salem's Lot is about a writer, named Benjamin Mears, who goes back to his neighborhood that he grew up in to write a book about his haunting story of him going in the Marsten House as a child, as a dare, and seeing Marsten hung. While he is there, he gets a girlfriend, creates many friends at the bar that he goes to, and basically gets settled down. When Danny Glick and his brother Ralphie Glick goes to visit the new kid, Mark Petrie, they encounter some supernatural force, and Ralphie goes missing and Danny dies a few days later with medical issues. Since then, many people die due to vampire attacks. Another book that I have read by Stephen King, who is one of my favorite authors, is The Shining. These two books have many similarities.
One thing that these two books have in common is that an important character in the book goes to a place expecting one thing, but ends up experiencing something else. In 'Salem's Lot, Ben goes to 'Salem's Lot expecting to write a book about his experiences with the Marsten House, but he comes out fighting vampires, and trying to save the whole town. He expects a peaceful, learning experience when he goes to 'Salem's Lot, but instead he goes on a vengeance journey to save the town. In The Shining, Jack Torrance goes to work at the Overlook Hotel after he gets fired from being a teacher. A force of darkness takes over him. Jack stays over the winter to maintain the the hotel, but instead he goes from being a father to a psychopath trying to kill his whole family, because of the evil spirit that lurks in the hotel. These two important characters didn't expect these things to happen to them.
Also, these two books show that you should never underestimate the youth, and that youth are sometimes smarter than adults. For example, in 'Salem's Lot, Mark, the child that gets haunted the most by the forces of darkness, is the bravest of the gang that tries to kill the vampires and he makes the best decisions. The gang includes Ben, Mark, Matt, Jimmy, and Father Calllahan. As it said on page 584, "His legs were too short to reach the pedals. He pulled the seat up and twisted the key. The engine roared. He put the gearshift lever in drive and put his foot on the gas. The car leaped forward. He slammed his foot down on the power brake and was thrown painfully into the steering wheel. The horn honked." This is when Mark, a little kid, drives to Ben to tell him the terrible news about the vampires in Eva Miller's boarding house. Also, Mark is the one who experiences the forces of darkness beforehand, and tells the gang where to go. In The Shining, Danny Torrance has a special power called the "shining". The "shining" is a supernatural power that enables Danny to see pictures, but they are merely pictures which cannot harm him. With the "shining", Danny can also communicate with others that have the "shining", such as Dick Hollorann, the hotel chef. When the evil spirits in the hotel get into his dad, because it was having difficulty getting into Danny, Jack goes crazy and tries to kill his whole family. Danny then calls Hollorann, with his shining, and Hollorann comes to the Overlook Hotel and brings Danny and Danny's mother, Wendy, into safety.
One thing that these two books have in common is that an important character in the book goes to a place expecting one thing, but ends up experiencing something else. In 'Salem's Lot, Ben goes to 'Salem's Lot expecting to write a book about his experiences with the Marsten House, but he comes out fighting vampires, and trying to save the whole town. He expects a peaceful, learning experience when he goes to 'Salem's Lot, but instead he goes on a vengeance journey to save the town. In The Shining, Jack Torrance goes to work at the Overlook Hotel after he gets fired from being a teacher. A force of darkness takes over him. Jack stays over the winter to maintain the the hotel, but instead he goes from being a father to a psychopath trying to kill his whole family, because of the evil spirit that lurks in the hotel. These two important characters didn't expect these things to happen to them.
Also, these two books show that you should never underestimate the youth, and that youth are sometimes smarter than adults. For example, in 'Salem's Lot, Mark, the child that gets haunted the most by the forces of darkness, is the bravest of the gang that tries to kill the vampires and he makes the best decisions. The gang includes Ben, Mark, Matt, Jimmy, and Father Calllahan. As it said on page 584, "His legs were too short to reach the pedals. He pulled the seat up and twisted the key. The engine roared. He put the gearshift lever in drive and put his foot on the gas. The car leaped forward. He slammed his foot down on the power brake and was thrown painfully into the steering wheel. The horn honked." This is when Mark, a little kid, drives to Ben to tell him the terrible news about the vampires in Eva Miller's boarding house. Also, Mark is the one who experiences the forces of darkness beforehand, and tells the gang where to go. In The Shining, Danny Torrance has a special power called the "shining". The "shining" is a supernatural power that enables Danny to see pictures, but they are merely pictures which cannot harm him. With the "shining", Danny can also communicate with others that have the "shining", such as Dick Hollorann, the hotel chef. When the evil spirits in the hotel get into his dad, because it was having difficulty getting into Danny, Jack goes crazy and tries to kill his whole family. Danny then calls Hollorann, with his shining, and Hollorann comes to the Overlook Hotel and brings Danny and Danny's mother, Wendy, into safety.
In conclusion, 'Salem's Lot and The Shining, both by Stephen King, have a lot in common. They both include important characters that go to a place expecting one thing, but experience something completely different, and both books show that you should never underestimate youth, and that youth sometimes are smarter than adults. I love these two books, and I think that there are both wonderful stories with many messages weaved into it.
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