35. Conclusion

I kept forgetting that this book was written in 1975 because it brought out the same feelings and meanings as it probably did for college students who read it in the 70s. That's how you know when an author has become succesful; when they can stand the test of time. Going into this novel, I think that I had a lot of expectations for Stephen King and it's great to say that he reached most of them if not all of them. I liked his use of symbolism through fire, time, cycles and the wind. I also liked how he could bring all of his characters to life so it felt like you were in the novel experiencing every twisting turn of the plot with them. When I can relate to the characters of a book, I tend to stay faithful from the beginning to the end.

If I had to find one thing that I would change about this novel, it would be that I would have liked to see Stephen King explore a little bit more with the vampire culture in 'Salem's Lot. As a reader I got to see the different people in the town turn into vampires, but I never heard from them again. I would have liked to know their thoughts and challenges after becoming a vampire.

I'm really glad I had the chance to read this for my english class. How many people can say that they read Stephen King for their class? I think that's pretty awesome. If I've learned anything from reading this book, it's that things aren't always what they seem and to stand up for what you believe in...even if it means believing in vampires : )