‘Salem’s Lot is a small town in southern Maine. A town where not much happens and everybody knows each other. And yet, terrible things can still happen, even in small, sleepy towns. ‘Salem’s Lot has a dark history, and the Marsten House looms over the town, casting a long, dark shadow.
I like vampire media, although I think I have only scratched the surface of what is out there. I did some research on vampire mythology for a story I was writing a couple of years ago but never ended up finishing. It was supposed to be about an Orthodox Christian using symbols and objects of their religion to hunt and defeat vampires. Maybe I should go back to that story and finish it.
The parallels of the symbolism of blood in vampire mythology and Christianity are interesting. In Christianity, Christ’s blood washes us clean and saves us from death. Christians take the Lord’s supper; Christ’s body and blood as our sustenance. In vampire mythology, blood is sustenance as well. It is food for the vampires and they use it to turn others, making them immortal. In Christianity, blood was spilled to give us new life and eventually a life free from sorrow and pain. The immortality of a vampire is a cursed immortality, fated to roam the earth forever, to torment others and to be hunted.
Some ways to kill vampires came from folklore, people hoping that cutting off the vampire’s head or driving a stake through its heart would defeat it. When Christianity began to spread through the world, symbols of that religion were used to drive vampires away. I think that Christianity helped to explain the world, to give meaning to pain, and to help people not be afraid of death. Who better to defeat an undead vampire than Christ, who defeat death when he rose from the grave? And so the symbols of Christianity seemed particularly powerful against such a dark and looming evil as a vampire.
In ‘Salem’s Lot, religion, Christianity, is a powerful tool for our heroes. Most everyone at the beginning of the story describe themselves as not religious. They view the idea of vampires haunting the town with skepticism and doubt. But eventually they see that using the symbols of Christianity, holy water, crucifixes, and prayers, protect them from the vampires. Many of the characters express that they are not religious, but easily put on the trappings of religion for protection against the strange happenings of their town. As the evil escalates, however, the religious tools seem to loose their power and it is really human determination that defeats (or seems to defeat) the evil in the end.
One character is a priest who seems to only go through the motions of his faith. When he is able to use the tools of religion, it seems to ignite his faith, giving him new excitement and clarity. However, later in the story, this passion is dashed and he leaves the town in shame. A question is raised; did he leave town because he was turned into a vampire and does not want to be killed by his companions, or is he leaving because he cannot face his friends because of his crisis of faith and fears their mission will fail? He is described as someone hollowed out, blank and cold. I think he was turned to a vampire. Perhaps he will show up in a Dark Tower book, if he is among the undead?
I don’t know King’s views on religion. From the little I know of him, he seems either jaded by it, or uninterested in it unless it is used as a plot device. But I liked how powerful he made it feel in ‘Salem’s Lot; that the crucifixes and holy water glow with supernatural light, the vampires retreat in screaming pain from these symbols and the people are kept safe from their transforming bite. But religious symbols are tools only in this book. No one is really converted to Christianity; they use it when needed and then don’t seem to think about it once the evil vampire is defeated. But religion, especially Christianity, can be transforming. And unlike the bite of the vampire, it transforms people to life instead of a cursed undeath.
I hope you enjoy these little book reviews. I should be getting my own place soon so will be bringing back the cooking content! More to come.
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