The Wolfman, by Jonathan Maberry and The Cycle of the Werewolf, by Stephen King

One of the many staples of horror fiction is the employment of a monster to aide in the fear the reader experiences. A monster gives the protagonists a tangible object to fear. When the fear is tangible the protagonists are able to be drawn into the story in a more concrete manner. The reader is also able to be included in the fear because they can get a full picture of what is scaring the main characters. Unlike ghosts or spirits, monsters provide a visual representation of the fear to be experienced. One pair of monsters stand out from the others, this is the wolfman and the werewolf. On the surface, both are seemingly the same character with a different name, but this paper is going to explore the differences between the wolfman and the werewolf as they appear in fiction and how their different manifestations relates to the characters in the story and those behind the fur. This writer believes that although there are many similarities behind the werewolf and the wolfman, there are a few differences in how the characters are portrayed. This difference is shown primarily in The Wolfman by Jonathan Maberry and The Cycle of the Werewolf by Stephen king.

On the surface a werewolf and a wolfman are different names for the same type of character. A werewolf is a man that turns into a wolf at the appearance of a full moon. A wolfman is similarly afflicted and changes from a man to a wolf-type creature at the same time of the month. According to both texts, the only thing that can injure a werewolf or a wolfman is a silver bullet or silver sword. The wolf-creature is usually able to heal from almost any injuries incurred during the attacks they make on the unsuspecting masses.

Because Maberry’s work is much longer, readers are privy...

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...een the werewolf and the wolfman. Both are murderous beasts, but the motives behind their actions are different. Werewolves attack to maim, kill, and gain strength. They also attack for the joy of being splashed with blood. Wolfmen, on the other hand, are more benign, still attacking when provoked, but not stalking and planning kills, they can be subdued by music and love. This writer concludes that, given the choice, Reverend Lowe and Sir John would choose to be a werewolf if given the option, they enjoy the killing and the power. Conversely, Lawerence would freely choose to live without the curse of changing into the wolfman because he did not choose this life. A werewolf will always choose death and a wolfman will always choose life.

Works Cited

King, Stephen. Cycle of the Werewolf. NewYork: Signet, 1983.

Maberry, Jonathan. The Wolfman. New York: Tor, 2010.