Ben

In the novel 'Salem's Lot by Stephen King, an evil entity is growing in the town of Jerusalem's Lot. Ben Mears, the protagonist, goes face to face with evil in chapter thirteen, scene ten. He reveals more about his character in this scene as he meets a vampire for the first time. Because of this situation, Ben shows a trait, a goal, and a flaw.

Throughout the novel, Ben's character has a courageous trait because he is wants to face his fear. In this scene, he finally faces the evil of 'Salem's Lot. He knows he is danger but does not flee in fear. He goes against Marjorie Glick, the mother of the first town's person to be transformed into a vampire, when she rises from her “sleep.” She is no longer a human and she has the power to take over Ben's body. With this in mind, Ben still takes on the challenge of fighting Marjorie as she is hungry for his blood. The protagonist's reactions to Marjorie's screeches and unnatural behavior show that he has a feeling of tension or fear, but he still manages to press the cross on the vampire's face to make her disappear.

From Ben's behavior in this scene, it seems that he is determined to defeat the evil that lies in the Lot. This is now one of his goals because he had first came back to the town to conquer his fear, but now he knows he must defeat the vampires. When Marjorie starts targeting Ben, he taunts her and wants her to go towards him. When Jimmy Cody, the town's doctor, goes behind her and grabs her, it seems that Ben is thrown off because he wanted to go head to head with the vampire. He describes the things that Marjorie is doing to Jimmy that it seems like he is just stunned by the attack. When Ben finally presses the cross on Mrs. Glick, he says, “Come on, you bitch,” and, “Come on, Come on,” it shows that he wants to fight the evil (King 268). He wants to finally conquer what he came back for in 'Salems Lot.

Lastly, when Ben first gets to the workroom, he is unprepared for what he is going to get into. He knew there was a possibility of Mrs. Glick rising, but he did not come prepared with the essential “weapons” to defend himself or Jimmy. Jimmy asks Ben if he has a cross and Ben's reply was no. The way he responds is silly because he was acting almost childish; similarly to a child when their teacher asks, “Do you have last night's homework?” and the child replies, “No? What homework?!” He knows what are the defenses against vampires but he had none of the objects. After Jimmy gives Ben a cross and Marjorie starts to attack, Ben almost forgets that he has the cross. This is strange because he was given the cross for a reason, yet it almost slips his mind that he was given it in the first place. When Mrs. Glick starts attacking Jimmy, it seemed like he was hesitant to act on the situation. He is watching Jimmy get bitten, but does not quickly act on the attack. Although this happens, he eventually gets rid of the blood-sucking creature from the scene.

In conclusion, Ben's behavior reveals a trait, a goal, and a flaw that are specific to this scene. His character is unique compared to the other characters and his behavior shows that he is not like the other townspeople. As the novel continues, he will continuously evolve as the protagonist.