Mortality Quotes in 'Salem's Lot

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #1

Some of them were turned off by his job, and Mike found this honestly hard to understand. It was pleasant work, there was no boss always looking over your shoulder, and the work was in the open air, under God's sky; and so what if he dug a few graves… To his way of thinking, the only thing more natural than death was sex. (3.49)

This is Mike Ryerson, thinking about his job as gravedigger. The idea that death is natural sounds reasonable, but most of the book is given over to refuting that (not least by turning Mike into an unnatural creature of the night). Barlow would probably agree with putting sex and death together, though—vampires love sexy death.

Quote #2

…her first thought before realizing that he was dead was that the B12 had been helping; he looked better than he had since his admission. (4.497)

Like all the vampires, Danny looks better in death than in life. Death becomes a kind of beauty treatment, as if it's good for you, or as if vampirism is a truer expression of the townspeople's selves than just being alive is.

Quote #3

Understand death? Sure. That was when the monsters got you. (6.166)

Mark really does understand death. Death in 'Salem's Lot is when the monsters get you. Which means if you wear a cross and know the rules, you can escape it, even if all those other folks around you get eaten.