29. Introducing the Characters

Introducing the different characters of 'Salem's Lot took a lot of time out of Stephen King's plot, but I think that at the same time, it was vital that the reader knew a little bit about each of the characters. He played off of the small town atmosphere and introduced all of the different families and people of the town in different chapters. He gave them each their own little story and small piece of background.


This format was effective because it went along with the idea that everyone who lived in 'Salem's Lot knew everything about each other because it was such a small town. It also helped give the reader an introduction and an insight of some of the underlying secrets and gossip that went on in the town. It also helped to create some sort of relationship with each character. If Stephen King would have just introduced a character and then have them being killed off in the same scene, the reader wouldn't have been able to get into the plot at all. The people in the novel made the plot interesting because they all had their own little quirks and they all added something to the functionality of 'Salem's Lot.