By the end of 'Salem's Lot, dark things are lurking behind every house in town, and evil secrets are curled up in the dark on the other side of the shutters, where no one can see them. This isn't all that much different from the way things were at the beginning of the novel, though: there may not have been vampires in the cellar, but there sure was a lot lust and nastiness and small cruelty behind all those curtains. Jus think of Sandy McDougall beating her baby, or Bonnie Sawyer cheating on her hubby. Jerusalem's Lot has lots of nasty secrets, and it had them even before the vampires set up shop.
Questions About Lies and Deceit
- In the novel, do lies always aid the vampires? When do they, and when don't they?
- In what cases do the vampires give townspeople their secret desires?
- How do the vampires rely on the townspeople's self-deception?